A horse trainer’s community was devastated by the Eaton Fire. Now he’s eyeing a Kentucky Derby win.

Now may be a tough time for journalism — unless you’re a horse, Journalism is your name and you’re favored to win the Kentucky Derby.

And Michael McCarthy, Journalism’s trainer, has been in the game long enough to know horses like this don’t come along very often. He says Journalism is his best shot so far at winning a derby on his own.

“Anybody who’s in the horse business, this is kind of where they want to be,” McCarthy said.

From the start of his day long before sunrise, to the workouts and baths and careful strolls around the barn, McCarthy and his team are locked down on Journalism making horse racing history.

But while McCarthy is laser-focused on his Derby dreams, part of his heart is 2,000 miles away. In January, his neighborhood in Altadena, California, was scorched by the Eaton Fire.

“There’s a whole gamut of emotions. You’re upset that your community’s gone through this, you’re angry that maybe some of this could have been avoided,” McCarthy said.

The wildfire got within 600 feet of his home. While he has smoke damage to deal with, many of his neighbors are confronting so much more.

That’s why he says a win at Churchill Downs could bring some levity to his home community.

“People are still healing. People are still without a place to live. So maybe for a couple hours on Saturday, we can provide them a little bit of entertainment,” McCarthy said.

The rules of journalism hold there’s no cheering from the press box. But this Journalism — and his trainer — serve as a reminder that rules are made to be broken.