Favorite Photos of 2015

For me, 2015 was about moments, days, and memories that will last a lifetime. I hadn't shot this many races since 2010, that crazy year I photographed three Derbies in three weeks, traveled to Saratoga and Monmouth for the first time, and was credentialed for my first Breeders' Cup. All the material I had to comb through made this blog a daunting task, and accounts for its ridiculous tardiness. Yet my favorites photos from 2015 don't sparkle with variety. Most, you can imagine, involve a particular horse. I would apologize for that if the horse was anything but the first Triple Crown winner in thirty-seven years.

So here, in chronological order, are my ten favorite photos from 2015, without apologies.

Silver Charm at Old Friends

As I talked about in my last post, two major things happened in 2015 that brought my racing life full circle. The first of those was finally getting to meet Silver Charm. I'd waited for this moment for eighteen years, not knowing if it would ever happen. I will forever be thankful to his wonderful owners, Bob and Beverly Lewis, for making sure Silver Charm was brought back to the States following his stud duties in Japan. Old Friends is the perfect place for the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion to enjoy retirement, and I know there he's in good hands.

Fairytale Ending: How American Pharoah Made My Horse Racing Life Come Full Circle

All the signs pointed to American Pharoah winning the Triple Crown.
But I was tired of seeing signs. I’d seen signs my entire life. And not once in my thirty-two years had they amounted to anything. In short, I was tired. Tired of getting my hopes up only for them to crash and burn. Tired of putting my life on hold for five weeks because this one horse might be The One. I thought Silver Charm was he. And Real Quiet. And Charismatic. Smarty Jones. Big Brown. California Chrome. On and on. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice… three times… thirteen times? How could I possibly believe this time  should be any different?

Once you stop wanting something, you get it. Trainer Bob Baffert, who guided three horses through their Kentucky Derby and Preakness victories only to fumble the crown and lose it in the Belmont, seemed to be on the same page. He wasn’t even thinking about the Triple Crown this year. A series of life-altering events seemed to have humbled the white-haired rocker of the racing world. He simply wanted to win one more Kentucky Derby. The Crown was recognized for what it was, a nearly impossible task. Something meant for an earlier, worthier time. Not us in these modern times.