BALTIMORE (AP) — Art Sherman thought nothing could be better than winning the Kentucky Derby.

Then came the Preakness, when California Chrome proved just how good a horse he can be when pressed for the lead.

And now, Sherman needs only a victory at the Belmont on June 7 to achieve every trainer’s dream: winning the Triple Crown.

“It would be the ultimate in my career,” the 77-year-old said Saturday evening.

“I’ve been in the game 60 years,” Sherman said. “Triple Crown winner? If you would have said that to me at the beginning of the year, I would have said, ‘What, are you crazy?’ And now that I’m getting closer, I’m elated.”

Sherman operated in relative obscurity before the Derby. Now the diminutive trainer stands out in a crowd.

“I’m kind of getting used to it,” he said. “After I won the Kentucky Derby, I said, ‘Wow, all of a sudden I feel like Willie Nelson,’ the old rock star coming through the airport.”

Still, it’s been a whirlwind.

“Sometimes I need to take my little siesta for about an hour,” he said. “I just call it charging my battery a little bit.”