Sarah K. Andrew: 2009- A Year in Photos

Happy New Year to all of my friends. I appreciate all of your comments and ideas. 2009 was another prosperous and thrilling year for me as a photographer. Some career accomplishments and highlights:

– photographed my first Kentucky Derby
– photographed 2009’s Rolex Three-Day Event
– had photos published in USA Today, Equus Magazine, Thoroughbred Daily News, a two-page spread in The Blood-Horse, and the cover of American Turf Monthly, to name a few!
– had fine art images displayed in restaurants and supermarkets
– rode a track pony and accompanied a Breeders’ Cup contender to her morning gallop

Click on any photo for more info…

Celebrating the New Year with Wizard

Wizard bouncing into 2009

I never tire of photographing Bryan the Cat

Partner’s Hero at Northview Stallion Station

Love of Money at Northview in January

The Thermals rocked the Bell House (click for review)

Haynesfield winning the Whirlaway on a chilly Aqueduct afternoon

Clancy the Pug in Jersey City

Mellowtraumatics, Milwaukees, Ben Trovato, and Small AM at Maxwell’s (review)

Matt McLaughlin and his Andalusian stallion Corral II at the 2009 PA Horse Expo (review)

Wizard and JR after a March snowstorm

Gotham winners I Want Revenge and Joe Talamo (click for Joe Talamo’s favorite movies)

Trotting little fences with Wizard

Jonathan Andrew at Buddie’s Tavern

Joe Talamo and I Want Revenge win the Wood Memorial (blogged)

Joe Talamo

Mary the Easter Morgan

Wizard, looking shiny and fit

JR

Miss Tuesday

Mary

Riot the Border Collie (Quicksilver Q-Eye-It Riot, HXAs, TD, RN, FDCh-Gold)

And the sheep Riot herds

On to Kentucky!

Super-horse Cigar at the Kentucky Horse Park

Churchill Downs- Barbaro statue

Rolex 2009 (Phillip Dutton and Connaught)

Rolex 2009 (Sara Dierks and Somerset II)

Rolex 2009 (Jose Ortelli, Jr)

Friesan Fire and Cindy Jones

Friesan Fire

Claiborne Farm- Secretariat’s grave

Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra

Zenyatta at Churchill Downs

Kentucky Derby 135: Calvin Borel and Mine That Bird

One rose salute in memory of Borel’s parents

Back to Jersey!

Jersey Fresh 2009 (High Society III and Jessica Hampf)

Jersey Fresh 2009 (Business Class and Maya Studenmund)

Jonathan Andrew in Asbury Park

On to Georgia!

Schuppernong Polo Club in Alpharetta, GA

Valley View Ranch in Cloudland, GA

Kat and Maggie

Tractor cats

New York, New York!

Gio Ponti wins the Manhattan

Summer Bird wins the Belmont Stakes

Summer Bird wins the Travers, aka Mid-Summer Derby

Summer Bird and Kent Desormeaux win the Jockey Club Gold Cup

Kiss the Kid and Channing Hill at Monmouth Park

Leslie Morse and Tip Top 962 at the Festival of Champions: Gladstone, NJ

JR clowning on the longe line

The day I made Holly Van Voast a star (blogged here)

Rachel Alexandra romps in the Mother Goose

Rachel Alexandra’s entourage

Finn the TDN Beagle

Yoshi the TDN Shiba Inu

Spice Route’s mad scientist blinkers

Presious Passion and Elvis Trujillo win the United Nations at Monmouth Park

Jonathan Andrew: Arrivals & Departures CD release party (review)

Rank at the Start: Delaware Park on Delaware Handicap Day

Oh Justin Time: silver grullo Paint stallion

Haskell Invitational showdown

Rachel Alexandra schooling in the Monmouth Park paddock

Born to Run: Rachel Alexandra and Calvin Borel win the Haskell

Bird’s eye view

Out of the gate at Saratoga!

Best seat in the house

Pony girl waiting in the rain at Monmouth Park

Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale

Rachel Alexandra at Saratoga

Rachel Alexandra, post-bath

Portrait of Rachel Alexandra

Quality Road at Saratoga

Skorri, an Icelandic Horse at Moonlit Run Equestrian Center

Barefoot and bareback at Moonlit Run

Track pony at Saratoga

Mary the Morgan and her owner share a moment

New York City mounted police

Rachel Alexandra’s Woodward victory

Calvin Borel and Robby Albarado: the victor and the vanquished

Rachel Alexandra after the Woodward

Harness racing at Saratoga Raceway

Here comes the sun

Saratoga sunrise

Saratoga ends and in rolls September…

One year after I lost Alibar

Mary the Morgan- first show, reserve champion!

Dirge, a one-eyed steeplechaser at Monmouth Park (here’s his story)

Handicapping the 8th at Belmont Park

George Morris clinic at Persimmon Farm in Maryland

Selena and me

Hitting the trails with Wizard and Mary

Kiss the Kid before the Meadowlands Cup

Greetings from the Meadowlands

The Grey Ghost Starter Handicap- a Halloween race for grey horses at the Meadowlands

On to November and on to California!

Portrait of Zenyatta

Goldikova at Santa Anita

27 year old Turkoman at E A Ranches in Santa Ysabel, CA

Einstein at Santa Anita

Silver Swallow (the Silver Swallow adventure)

Zenyatta

Life is Sweet

Presious Passion

Zenyatta and Mike Smith

Champions! Zenyatta and Mike Smith

Back home to Jersey…

Barn Beauty Tip #39: Your Stirrup Iron can Double as a Mirror for a Lipstick Touch-Up

Selena

Selena and me

Paris

Imaging (Dynaformer – Gaze, by Danzig)

Atlas at Moonlit Run

Katie and Val at Moonlit Run

Slick the barn kitty

Lentenor, full brother of Barbaro

Mary the Morgan: Joie de Vivre

Paris and me

Wizard- portrait of a Thoroughbred

Jen and Mayberry- autumn portrait

“Mary” Christmas

Paris in the snow

Wizard in winter

JR and Wizard enjoy the snow

In memory of Kona Gold

In memory of Papi Chullo

In memory of Kingpin

In memory of Gun Rock

In memory of Sunriver

In memory of Go Between

In memory of Bailey Wick

In memory of Bobby Frankel, who trained some of the greatest horses I’ve ever seen, and whose barn was always the heart of Saratoga

And in memory of one of my all-time favorite racehorses, Lawyer Ron

Best Wishes for a happy and healthy 2010!
Sarah Andrew

Cigar Mile Day 2009: The Three F’s

For many, Thanksgiving means the Three F’s: food, family, and football. To this, I add Fotography. And Fillies. And many Furlongs of graded stakes action.

Cigar Mile Day is generally the last hurrah of the season for New York racing fans. This time of year, the weather gets chilly, racing at Aqueduct moves to the inner dirt course, and the holidays approach.

I brought my friend Lisa to the track and she did a great job as my assistant. She also learned quite a bit about the light at the track and how to get the proper exposure for bright sun and the shade of the grandstand.

Before you know it, Derby Fever will be upon us. This Saturday gave racing fans a little more information about their favorite two-year-olds.

Launch N Relaunch broke his maiden with ease.

Buddy’s Saint (center) won the Remsen handily.

Although they did not take a trip to the winner’s circle, there were many other nice colts at the Big A that day, including Imaging:

Highveldt Storm:

Lentenor, full brother of Barbaro. Barbaro’s Kentucky Derby was one of my favorite races of the decade, but I never got to see the great colt in person so it was a treat to see his younger brother carrying on the legacy.

But the day was not all about the colts. Stardom Bound had an eventful return from her layoff. Peach Brew stumbled out of the gate at the start of the Gazelle- if you view the video (below), you can see that it happened in the blink of an eye, but the photo shows how much it can affect a horse’s game.

The marquee race of the day was the Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile Handicap. Kodiak Kowboy won the race and a real shot at this year’s Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter.

Furlongs and Furlongs of Fun for this Fotographer. Hope you had a good weekend as well.

Racehorses and Rock Lists! Sports Columnist Bill Finley’s Top 10 Albums of All Time

It’s tough being a horse racing fanatic. TVG is nice for seeing the actual races, but you have to suffer through awful commentary, not to mention commercials for ShamWow, the Snuggie and Mighty Putty. Horse racing trade publications, racing blogs, and forums provide news and opinions, but there are few people with the industry knowledge, scope, and experience to provide racing fans with real insight into the sport.

Bill Finley is one of the finest writers in horse racing. He speaks to handicappers, fans, and to members of the racing industry. I admire his unwavering dedication to the Sport of Kings, as well as his visionary ideas to improve it. Finley has the courage to buck popular thought about the racing industry and speak out about deep problems within the institution. He writes for the New York Times, USA Today, and ESPN, and in 2008, he published Betting Synthetic Surfaces, a book of in-depth research and analysis of what makes a winner on a synthetic track. He’s also a co-host of Down The Stretch, a racing program on Sirius Satellite Radio and has appeared in editions of ESPN’s SportsCentury.

Check out Bill’s thoughts on the 2008 Eclipse Awards, the unsung heroes of 2008, the legacy of Barbaro, a throwdown between Big Brown and Curlin, Eight Belles’ tragic demise, and some early 2009 Kentucky Derby picks (including Old Fashioned, pictured above with trainer Larry Jones).

… and check out Bill Finley’s Top Ten Albums of all time!

1. English Beat: I Just Can’t Stop It
2. The Clash: London Calling
3. The Clash: Sandinista!
4. The Who: Who’s Next
5. Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run
6. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
7. Bruce Springsteen: Born in the USA
8. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros: Rock Art and the X-Ray Style
9. The Smiths: Louder Than Bombs
10. Graham Parker: Squeezing Out Sparks