Keeneland: A day at the races

Keeneland: A day at the races my photos, my words

There’s nothing better than spending a sunny day at the races.

It has beauty and color, with magnificent thoroughbreds in the paddock or on the track and jockeys wearing bright silks. It has excitement and drama, watching the horses fly toward the finish line in hopes that your horse arrives first. It has the thrill of victory (cashing a winning ticket) and the agony of defeat (throwing away a losing ticket). There’s food. There’s drink.

Entering the home stretch, opening day, 2009 fall meet at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

It’s all part of a recipe for a fun day.

My wife and I visit Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky., twice a year to enjoy some racing. It’s also an opportunity for me to grab some new racing photos (the track is very camera friendly). And it’s the subject of my featured gallery for April on my website.

I usually try to get traditional racing action photos — close-ups of the horses battling down the stretch, etc. But I also try to get some photos in the paddock, where horses warm up and are saddled before the race, and some non-traditional photos.

Horses walk through the barns on the way to morning workouts at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

I’ve spent spring and fall days at Keeneland for years. My father took me when I was younger. I took him as he got older. And my wife and I go every spring and every fall, spending a day at the track and a few days with friends on each trip.

Keeneland has hosted races since it opened in 1936. It’s one of the nation’s most “traditional” race tracks, retaining the same look and feel through the years while still adopting new technologies (even though it was the last race track in North America to broadcast race calls over a public-address system, adopting that practice in 1997).

Stretch run, opening day, 2008 spring meet at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Keeneland was used for most of the racing scenes in the 2003 movie Seabiscuit because its appearance has changed little in decades.

Keeneland is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. In 2009, Keeneland was ranked as the number one track in America by the Horseplayers Association of North America.

Spectators cheer horses down the stretch, opening day of the 2008 fall meet, Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

I add a new featured gallery the first of each month. Last month’s featured gallery, with photos of Tree Swallows, has been moved to my featured gallery archives.

Bugler Bucky Sallee (now retired) plays Call to the Post, Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Down the stretch, opening day, 2008 spring meet, Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Horses in the post parade before a race at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Stretch run, opening day, 2008 spring meet at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Jockey statues in the paddock area at Keeneland carry the colors of the track's recent stakes winners.

Spectators cheer horses down the stretch, opening day of the 2008 fall meet, Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

In the paddock before Keeneland's third race on 2008 fall opening day.

Horses run down the stretch during a morning workout at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Horse-shaped hitching posts line a walkway at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Peter Williams, a well-regarded artist from New Zealand, paints a paddock scene at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

A horse is led through the tunnel to the track for a morning workout at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

First race in the rain, opening day, Keeneland 2009 fall meet, Lexington, Ky.

Down the stretch in the fourth race on opening day, 2009 fall meet at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Down the stretch, fourth race, Keeneland's 2009 fall opening day, Lexington, Ky.

Horses break from the gate on a rainy opening day of the 2009 fall meet at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Entering the home stretch, opening day, 2009 fall meet at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Horses walk through the barns on the way to morning workouts at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Almost 25,000 spectators watch the start of the third race, Keeneland spring 2010 opening day, Lexington, Ky.

Kantstopdancin (3), under jockey Tony Farina, leads off the turn at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky., April 2010.

Fort Defiance (3), under jockey Robby Albarado, leads Dance on the Moon (9), under jockey James Graham, at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky., October 2011.

Cytherean, a 2-year-old before her first start, studies the paddock, Keeneland, Lexington, Ky., October 2011.

Crowd watching the sixth race at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky., October 2011.

Sweet Miss Avery (3), under jockey James Graham, leads off turn, Keeneland, Lexington, Ky., April 2012.

Keri This Day Lori (10), under jockey Robby Albarado, takes the lead on the way to a win at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

A crowd of horses race off the turn at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Dynamic Royal is walked in the paddock before the start of the first race at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Patricia's Kitten walks in a crowded paddock before a race at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Juju Magic walks in the paddock before the start of the first race at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Coming off the final turn, opening day, Keeneland's 2009 spring meet, Lexington, Ky.

Outriders watch horses come off the turn in The Gunston Hall, a 1 1/16 mile allowance race at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.

Sycamore Lane (3), under Jose Lezcano, runs to victory in The Gunston Hall, a 1 1/16 mile allowance race at Keeneland, Lexington, Ky. Ironicus (4), under Jovier Castellano, was second and Highball (6), under John Velazquez, third.

Eerily, under jockey Channing Hill, pulls away from the field to win the second race at Keeneland, the historic track in Lexington, Ky.

Horses break from the gate to start the third race at Keeneland, the historic track in Lexington, Ky.

Mr. Tickle (8), under jockey James Graham, holds off U S S Altair (3), under jockey Corey J. Lanerie, to win the third race at Keeneland, the historic track in Lexington, Ky.

Horses run past the grandstand near the start of the 1 1/16-mile sixth race at Keeneland, the historic track in Lexington, Ky.

Jockey Florent Geroux gets a leg up to mount Direct Dial in the paddock before the second race at Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky. Direct Dial won the maiden race.

Horses run down the stretch between the crowd and the tote board during the second race at Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky.

Horses, jockeys and outriders participate in the post parade before the first race at Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 11, 2017.

Channing Hill, riding Bootsy's Girl (6), glances at Gabriel Saez, riding Yahtzee Queen (3), in the stretch for the first time in the one-and-a-half mile first race at Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 11, 2017. Bootsty's Girl won.

Horses are led into the starting gate on the back stretch before the start of the six-furlong third race at Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 11, 2017.

Exactness, on rail, and Como Se Llama (3), lead the field into the stretch of the six-furlong fourth race at Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 11, 2017. Exactness won, with Como Se Llama second and One Sauk Mauk (blue cap in middle of track) third.

Horses break from the gate to start the fifth race at Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 11, 2017.

Going Out (5), under Joel Rosario, inches past Classy Act, under Kendrick Carmouche, in the stretch of the fifth race at Keeneland, the historic race track in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 11, 2017. Going Out won, with Classy Act second.

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Keeneland: A day at the races my photos, my words

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