Earlier this month, I enjoyed a week in the Bluegrass State, seeing and photographing horses of all ages. In this post I’ll share my favorite morning photos from Keeneland. Click here to read my other posts about Keeneland.
The new Paddock Building is stunning. I took this three-shot panorama of the building with the Breeders’ Cup statue visible at the top of the staircase in the early morning training hours when not a lot of folks were walking around.
Keeneland will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in October.
The statue is a replica of The Torrie Horse, sculpted by Giambologna in the 1500s, and it travels around to the various Breeders’ Cup host tracks.
Jockey Javier Castellano exercises a Lindsay Schultz trainee.
Danny Gargan trainee Gellhorn jogs onto the track with exercise rider Priscilla Schaefer onboard.
A Will Walden trainee and his rider are silhouetted against the morning sky.
A pair of Riley Mott trainees breeze in company. Jockey Junior Alvarado is on the inside horse.
A Whit Beckman trainee jogs past.
Exercise rider Roger Horgan gives a pet to multiple graded stakes placed Brendan Walsh trainee San Siro.
Jena Antonucci trainee Moonstrocity, who ran in the Blue Grass Stakes, gallops over the track.
Exercise rider Romain Técher gallops multiple graded stakes placed Michael McCarthy trainee Yellow Card.
Exercise rider Kelvin Pérez gives a pet to the Chad Brown-trained Coordinator.
Todd Pletcher assistant Sophie Green passes by on her pony Buddy.
2022 Kentucky Derby alum Barber Road is now a pony for trainer John Ortiz, seen here riding him.
A Brad Cox trainee gallops past.
A Riley Mott trainee is seen at the first turn.
A Cherie DeVaux trainee jogs back.
A George Weaver trainee walks off the track.
A Kenny McPeek trainee jogs by.
The Chad Brown-trained Blue Grass Stakes runner-up Ottinho walks off the track with Kelvin Pérez onboard. Despite earning enough points to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, he will be pointed to the Preakness.
The Carlos David-trained Turkish Pistachio walks off the track with Lexi Corti onboard.
Sam Bussanich leads a Mark Casse trainee off the track.
A pair of Steve Asmussen trainees walk back to the barn.
George Weaver pony Buck gets brought out for a bath.
A Brad Cox trainee heads out to the track.
Exercise rider Emma Nordin has a close bond with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Cy Fair. The George Weaver trainee made her three-year-old debut in the Grade III Limestone Stakes at Keeneland, where she finished third.
A Brendan Walsh trainee gallops over the training track.
One more shot of that Breeders’ Cup statue.
I have made two videos showcasing my trip to Kentucky. The first, below, is a compilation of nearly 500 still frames I shot while I was there. Click here to watch the video.
The second video, below, contains slow motion video footage I shot while I was there. Click here to watch the video.
To see more of my equine photography be sure to follow me on X, Instagram and Facebook. All photos and videos in this post © Samantha Decker and may not be reused without permission.
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