Last spring, I visited Kentucky to photograph thoroughbreds of all ages, from a day old to 30 years old! In this post I will share photos I took at Claiborne Farm in Paris, a breeding farm. Click here to view my previous Kentucky posts.
A day old McKinzie filly out of Tiznow mare Girardi
Claiborne used to have a training center. Although it hasn’t been used in years, they still have a starting gate.
Champion Turf Female Regal Glory and her Into Mischief filly, her first foal
The grounds of Claiborne are just picturesque.
One of the big draws for me to visit Claiborne Farm was to see Secretariat’s grave. Secretariat, 1973 Triple Crown winner and considered by many to be the greatest racehorse of all time, stood at Claiborne from 1974 until his death in 1989.
Secretariat certainly wasn’t the only notable stallion to stand at Claiborne. Among others buried at the farm’s cemetery include 1930 Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox, breed-shaping sire Mr. Prospector (I don’t think it’s possible to find a horse today who doesn’t have him in his pedigree), and 1972 Kentucky Derby winner Riva Ridge, Secretariat’s stablemate.
Among Claiborne’s current roster of stallions, War Front is one of the farm’s most successful. The son of Danzig has sired 25 Grade I winners. On this day, he was full of energy after having enjoyed a roll in the dirt!
2019 Preakness Stakes winner is a newer stallion.
Blame is probably best known for being the only horse to ever beat Hall of Fame mare Zenyatta. He did that in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic, a race the former had won the year before.
Blame certainly is handsome.
One more shot of War Front before we go!
Before we wrap up, I wanted to share two videos I created about my trip. Below is a slow motion recap of my trip in two minutes. Email subscribers, click here to view the video.
The second video is a time lapse of sorts, containing over 1000 frames I shot while I was there. Email subscribers, click here to watch the video.
To see more of my equine photography be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook. All photos and videos in this post © Samantha Decker and may not be reused without permission.
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So sweet!