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

Kentucky Derby 135: What a Ride!

I’ve been back in New Jersey for a few days now, but my head is still spinning from the amazing experiences I had in Kentucky. Rolex, the Derby, the Oaks, the farms, the Horse Park… it was an unforgettable adventure.

Churchill Downs, © Charles Pravata

When I first arrived at Churchill Downs, I must admit I was underwhelmed. It was raining, I was lugging a lot of equipment, and my amazing experiences at Rolex were fresh in my mind (more on that soon!). I expected to gasp at the sight of the Twin Spires and marvel at the experience, but it was not until Oaks Day when I was shooting the races when it really hit me. The history, the tradition, the horseflesh. Rachel Alexandra in her epic run. Mine That Bird battling the field and winning by 8. And I had the best seat in the house. I’ll break the weeks down into bite-sized pieces and share them with the RNR Blog community.

Cigar: Still the King

I visited Cigar several times during Rolex. The Horse Park was abuzz from dawn to dusk every day with international competitors, and The King watched from his castle atop the hill. He is a benevolent ruler, and most of the time he dines on fine grasses. But if something is out of place or if some horse dares to come too close to his kingdom, he alerts. He marches to the intruder. His mane flutters. His ears fly forward. His chiseled head swivels. And his subjects ooh and ahh. Shutters click. Then The King goes back to his meal.

I left Cigar’s palace today and began my tour of Kentucky farms. Never in my life have I seen such beauty. The rolling hills, the warm breezes, the iron gates, the stately barns. If you see me driving, just pass my car, because I’m a rubbernecking fool when I see these farms.

I watched a mare foal today. She’s a stout filly, well-bred and full of promise. In light of the tragic loss of Kingpin and the reminder of how fragile these creatures are in spite of the best possible care, life springs forth in the Bluegrass.

Greetings from Rolex!

Sarah Andrew reporting in from the Bluegrass for a quick hello :^) Lexington, Kentucky is beautiful! Imagine my delight to finally arrive at Rolex for the first time after so many years of watching and reading about it. I feel like a kid in a candy store at the Kentucky Horse Park. I saw the immortal Cigar (a favorite racehorse from my youth), as well as the great CH Gypsy Supreme, pictured here:

Day 1 of Rolex was fantastic. Check out the Rolex website for updates and standings. The two standout dressage tests for me were Jolie Sexton riding Killian O’Connor and Tim Lips riding Concrex Oncarlos. Both tests were remarkably harmonious and the rides were exemplary.

On to Day Two!

Rolex 101 (Last post from NJ!)

The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event is the highest level of the sport of three-day eventing. International horses and riders at the Olympic level compete at this four-star event. There are only four events of this caliber in the world.

Phase One of eventing is dressage, a test of strength, balance, and discipline for horses and riders.

Phase Two is cross country, which highlights the heart, speed, and endurance of the teams.

Phase Three is stadium jumping, which requires precision, accuracy, and rateability.

The official Rolex website explains it well:

DRESSAGE on the first day of the competition tests the gaits, suppleness and obedience of the horse through a series of prescribed movements. While judging the Dressage Test on the first day is based on specific criteria understood in detail only by experienced judges and riders, it is basically an evaluation of beauty of movement and obedience. Anyone can judge these characteristics and the spectator’s opinion often agrees with the judges. The number of competitors may require that Dressage be held over two days but it remains the first competition day.

The CROSS-COUNTRY test on the second competition day proves the speed, stamina, courage, boldness and jumping ability of the horse and the rider’s knowledge of pace and use of the horse across country. Horses jumping over obstacles designed and constructed to represent what might be found on uncharted grounds , virtually flying over ditches, leaping up and down banks, dropping into and galloping through water prove examples of athletic prowess, and trust between man and animal, that can be seen in no other sporting event. While the rider walks the course beforehand, the horse doesn’t see any of the course until it leaves the start box.

JUMPING in an arena on the third day of competition provides the final test of the horse’s athletic ability, conditioning and training. The Jumping Test in a stadium arena on the third day is again simply a matter of jumping the obstacles cleanly. Its significance is that it comes the day following the test of cross-country jumping at speed and clearly illustrates the horse’s willingness to listen to its rider. It must now move at a more sedate pace and not touch the obstacles, which are not solid and will fall down. A single rail knocked down can make the difference between winning and finishing far down in the placings.

The best way to learn more about the sport of eventing is to see it for yourself. Check the Chronicle of the Horse‘s Sporting Calendar for local competitions. And subscribe to the Chronicle of the Horse or another eventing publication like Eventing USA for the most current news and commentary.

An added bonus of attending Rolex in person is the famously fabulous shopping :^)

The official Rolex website is an excellent resource for this year’s competition. Click here for the schedule, click here for the entries, and click here for the timetable.

I’m leaving for Kentucky Wednesday morning and I’ll post about Rolex and the Kentucky Derby as time permits. And you can watch live on-demand coverage as it unfolds!

Spotlight: Mike Winter and Wonderful Will- From Racehorse to Rolex

As the clock ticks down to the 2009 Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event, it is time to learn about this year’s contenders. Who are the favorites? Who are the underdogs? And how did these spectacular athletes get where they are today?

The Lexington Herald-Leader ran a story today about Canadian rider Mike Winter and his Rolex mount, Wonderful Will (TB). I remember seeing them on-course at Jersey Fresh two year ago, but I did not know their story.

Wonderful Will is a racehorse, turned track pony, turned event horse. Kentucky outrider Joe Riggs trains ex-racehorses for a second career as track ponies, but Wonderful Will was not so hot in either profession.

“I’ve had a lot of success on racehorses,” Winter said from his farm in Newnan, Ga. “They have boundless energy and athleticism. What I always say is that, in your training, you have to convince them to look to you for answers because they think and move so quickly, they try to solve everything themselves.”

Wonderful Will is only about 15.1 hands, not much above a pony, and Winter bought him for a client, a woman named Sher Schwartz.

But the son of Woodman proved too much horse for most everyone but Winter. He remembers training the horse over his first jump, a small cross rail on the ground. The horse jumped as high as the standards on either side.

“Mike had this expression on his face like, ‘What just happened?'” said Schwartz, Wonderful Will’s owner. “Then he did it again. He just always took to jumping. He was supposed to be my little event horse to go novice, but he jumps me out of the tack.”

This year’s Rolex has a strong international contingent, as riders are getting their feet wet for next year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Winter will be riding Wonderful Will and Kingpin at Rolex. He’s one of several international Olympians coming to Rolex in anticipation of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Others include Germany’s Bettina Hoy, Australia’s Lucinda Fredericks and France’s Nicholas Toussaint. Last year’s champion, Phillip Dutton, will return to defend his title on Connaught.

I’m looking forward to seeing this team compete at Rolex. Best of luck to their connections.

I Want Revenge and Joe Talamo win the Wood Memorial!

Aqueduct Photographers, by Bud Morton

Sarah K. Andrew, originally uploaded by lensjockey.

Wood Memorial 2009!

Saturday 4/4/09

Derby Fever has smitten even the most reasonable racing fans. Today was action-packed and many a handicapper is wrestling with the mental gymnastics provided by the results of today’s races. On the West Coast, grey wonder The Pamplemousse (aka Fruit Loop) was scratched from the Santa Anita Derby due to a tendon issue. In his absence, Pioneerof The Nile dominated.

A few hours earlier at Aqueduct, I Want Revenge won the Wood Memorial under jockey Joe Talamo. If you have not seen the video, check it out. I Want Revenge has a slow and awkward start (pictured below) and overcame traffic to win comfortably. Talamo’s riding was superb- he sat chilly on the horse and aided him as he threaded his way through the field, finishing smartly with minimal encouragement.

Here they are out of the gate…

And a few other photos from the race. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a LOUD cheer from the crowd when Talamo returned to the winner’s circle and again when he walked through the paddock. Increased awareness of these amazing athletes is a wonderful byproduct of the success of Animal Planet’s Jockeys.

Check out my Flickr photostream for more photos of the day’s racing.

I Want Revenge and Joe Talamo Win the 2009 Gotham Stakes

Sarah Andrew: photo by Bud Morton

Saturday 3/7/2009

Cabin fever. Derby fever. Spring fever. Call it what you want. The gaggle of racing photographers had it in spades when they all flocked to Aqueduct for the first Saturday in March. The whole gang was present and accounted for and we shot the Aqueduct inner dirt with enthusiasm in our eyes and roses in our minds.

The Girls of Aqueduct: photo by Bud Morton

I Want Revenge and Jockeys star Joe Talamo won by over 8 lengths, thus capturing the imagination of many Bloggers and columnists. Captured a little gas money for me, too. I managed to hit the Gotham trifecta :^)

Did you watch the race? What did you think? Who is on the top of your Derby list?

Spotlight: 2008 Eclipse Award Winners!

A big congratulations to the connections of these wonderful horses and to the recipients of these awards. And congratulations to the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance for the shoutout by the Hennegan Brothers.

Check out Thoroughbred Daily News for full coverage of the Eclipse Awards.

Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year: Curlin

Older Female: Zenyatta

Champion 3 Year Old Filly: Proud Spell

Champion 3 Year Old Male: Big Brown

Champion 2 Year Old Female: Stardom Bound

Champion 2 Year Old Male: Midshipman

Steeplechase Horse: Good Night Shirt

Outstanding Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Champion Turf Female: Forever Together

Champion Turf Male: Conduit

Champion Male Sprinter: Benny the Bull

Champion Female Sprinter: Indian Blessing

Outstanding Jockey- Garrett Gomez

Outstanding Owner, Stronach Stables; Outstanding Breeder, Adena Springs