Churchill Downs – Oaks Day
Horses pass the crossing area between the dirt track and backside area early at Churchill Downs early in the morning of May 6.
Some pictures from Friday at Churchill Downs, which was Kentucky Oaks day. In terms of coverage, we treated the Oaks sort of like a dry run for the Derby. I got to practice shooting handheld from the roof (my assigned position) just to get familiar with tracking and focusing the horses, which I’d never done before. The practice definitely helped, and I was able to correct the mistakes I made at the Oaks (like cutting off half the field at the finish line) before the Derby the next day.
An exercise rider takes Derby horse Shackleford for a run.
Churchill Downs foodservice personnel finish dressing in their uniforms before starting their morning shifts.
A Churchill Downs event photographer is captured taking a snapshot.
A woman waits in line to show tickets to enter the grandstand area for an afternoon race.
A woman checks odds in a program before placing a bet.
The paddock area underneath the Twin Spires is decked out in pink bunting prior to the running of the 137th Kentucky Oaks.
Horses burst out of the gate at the start of the Kentucky Oaks.