Trainer Mark Glatt is a sentimental Kentucky Derby favorite after his wife's death

“It’s pretty hard to describe,” he said then. “We have had an overwhelming amount of support, and it’s helped us get through this very, very tough time. She got that horse there today.”

Read more: So Happy wins Santa Anita Derby but not before another horse is euthanized

For the most part since, including during an interview Thursday morning at his barn at Churchill Downs, he politely has declined to discuss his wife, saying he just doesn’t feel comfortable. But he has opened up a bit on rare occasions.

“I absolutely think she’s above and pushing us through this and hopefully enjoying the ride along with us,” Glatt told reporters this week. “She would be happy for me and all the hard work. She’d be happy for all of the connections. I think she’d be very proud of an accomplishment like this.

“We’re still together, even if it’s just in spirit.”

Hans Maron, one of So Happy’s co-owners along with his wife, Ana, and Robbie Norman, paused to gather himself Thursday when asked how much Dena Glatt would have enjoyed being at the Derby for the first time.

So Happy runs on the track during Kentucky Derby training Thursday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

“She is here,” Maron said.

Asked if he has allowed himself to dream about what it would be like if So Happy won, Maron said, “I'm not arrogant, but I envision it. I mean, I believe. I'm not a homer but I'm a believer. I really think he's gonna take us there. I think he's the right horse at the right time.”

Early wagering seems to indicate the public believes So Happy is a major contender. He was co-sixth choice on the morning line at 15-1 — a surprising number, given his speed figures for the Santa Anita victory were comparable to almost anything his competitors have posted this spring — but as of Friday evening, he was the 6-1 co-second choice along with Commandment and Further Ado, just behind Renegade at 5-1.

It’s hard to find a trainer who isn’t happy with their horse at this point, and Glatt is no different: “Nothing’s told me that he’s not sitting on a really good race,” the trainer said.

Read more: California trainers have long shots in the Kentucky Derby hunt

Those who doubt So Happy point to his breeding: His sire, Runhappy, was a champion sprinter not known for producing horses who can run more than a mile. But Runhappy’s sire, Super Saver, won the 2010 Derby, and So Happy’s grandsire on his mother’s side is Blame, who captured the Breeders’ Cup Classic later that year at Churchill Downs.

“If you watch him train,” Maron said, “he's long and he covers a lot of ground. He’s just a really smart horse, actually. That's the biggest thing. He uses his energy when it's needed.”

Maron, a co-founder of Fairlife Milk (which was sold to Coca-Cola), said he has been a racing fan since he was 14 but never dreamed of owning a horse, let alone being in the Derby. The Marons, who live in Arizona, have been with Glatt for about five years, and they were close friends with the trainer and his wife. Glatt has credited the couple with supporting him emotionally the last few months.

They’ll all be together Saturday for the race that elicits emotion like no other. Even So Happy’s jockey, 60-year-old Mike Smith, who has more Derby experience than any other rider, including two wins, struggled to explain what a victory would mean.

Read more: Kentucky Derby draw: Favorite Renegade draws dreaded rail position

“I wish I had some words to tell you what it would mean, but those are just things that you'd have to just feel and see to really understand it,” said Smith, who would be the oldest jockey to win the Derby (Bill Shoemaker was 54 in 1986).

Glatt paused a long time before saying he has not allowed himself to think about what it would be like to win.

“That'll all hit if … you know, I don't want to get ahead of myself,” Glatt said. “I'm sure that would all hit me if we would be so fortunate.”

One more scratch

Right to Party was withdrawn Friday morning with what state veterinarians said was lameness in his right front leg, moving Robusta into the field and giving trainer Doug O’Neill two (long shot) chances for his third Derby win. O’Neill, who also has Pavlovian as a starter, named Cristian Torres to ride Robusta because Emisael Jaramillo had commitments at Santa Anita.

Weather outlook

The last rainfall here was Wednesday and there is none in the forecast for Saturday. It’s not warm, though: The high temperature the last couple of days barely touched 60, and the post-time forecast calls for 55 degrees with fairly light winds.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.