Photos from the Stephen Foster and Fleur de Lis Handicaps

Here are some of my favorite photos from the Stephen Foster/Fleur de Lis card at Churchill Downs on June 15.

The bad news is, my camera wasn't too fond of "Downs After Dark" and once the sun set and the track's lights came on for the Stephen Foster, the Nikon gave up on trying to get good photos. I did get several photos from the paddock, but had to use the flash for most of them and am not happy with their quality, so I only have one picture from the Stephen Foster itself to share here.

The good news is, I did get plenty of photos of Royal Delta  and the other mares in the Fleur de Lis. Enjoy!

The royally-bred Mr. Besilu (A.P. Indy - Balance, by Thunder Gulch)

Calvin Borel on Indy Awesome

Rose Napravnik on Strike It Big

Mike Smith on Mr. Besilu

Brian Hernandez on Lent (1/2 brother to Fort Larned)

The outrider's horse wants attention, too!

Flores Island acting "up"

Bail Me Out

Rose Napravnik on Bail Me Out and Calvin Borel on Storm Crossing

Joel Rosario on Flores Island

Black and white version

Wine Princess (3) and Royal Delta (5) - two of my favorite racemares

Royal Delta

Royal Delta and her admiring public

Shaun Bridgmohan receives instructions as Wine Princess awaits

Joel Rosario and Funny Proposition

Shaun Bridgmohan and Wine Princess

Mike Smith and Royal Delta

Rosario and Funny Proposition steal the race from Smith and Royal Delta, who failed to fire and finished second

Smith and Royal Delta post-race

Bridgmohan and Wine Princess post-race

Rosie Napravnik and Code West, winner of the Matt Winn

Brian Hernandez and Fort Larned win the Stephen Foster in wire-to-wire fashion

Weekly Recap: Belmont Stakes, Henry Cecil's passing, Ramon Dominguez's retirement, and the Stephen Foster Handicap

This week has been a rollercoaster ride in the sport of horse racing, and it seems improper to recap last weekend's Belmont Stakes and discuss tomorrow's Stephen Foster Handicap without mentioning everything in between. 


Saturday, June 8: Although there was no Triple Crown on the line this year, racing fans hoped that the Belmont Stakes (Gr. I) would spit forth the dominating three-year-old colt of the young year. The Belmont did do that--kind of. Rather than leading the field through a strong pace as he did in the Kentucky Derby, Palace Malice--who had skipped the Preakness--instead took advantage of a relatively quick pace to capture the Belmont, with Oxbow finishing a strong second and Orb third.

Oxbow again impressed me deeply by remaining close to the strong pace and finishing well. This colt is tough, tough, tough and definitely one to watch over the upcoming months. Hopefully Calumet Farm will keep him in training as a four and possibly five-year-old, too, as the Awesome Again get tend to improve with age.

Watch the Belmont Stakes here and read the Blood-Horse article here.

Sunday, June 9: On this day 40 years ago, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes, thereby becoming the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown. Read my post about this magical day here.


Tuesday, June 11: Sir Henry Cecil, a legendary trainer in the United Kingdom, passed away after a long illness. The last great horse he trained was none other than Frankel, the British superhorse that captivated the world in 2011 and 2012. Read Cecil's obituary on the Blood-Horse here.

Wednesday, June 12: The 2012 Broodmare of the Year, Lisa Danielle, proved her worth yet again when her 2010 filly by War Chant won her debut race. Enchanting Lisa stalked the pace like a professional racehorse before drawing away clear in the stretch with her ears up. As a half-sister to Wise Dan and Successful Dan, she has large shoes to fill. But if her maiden win is any indication, that won't be a problem. Read the Blood-Horse article here.

Ramon Dominguez on Little Mike before winning the 2012 Arlington Million

Thursday, June 13: Top jockey Ramon Dominguez announced his retirement from the saddle. Hospitalized with a skull fracture after a bad fall at Aqueduct in January, Dominguez had originally hoped to return to the saddle by the Triple Crown races. Instead, upon the strong advisement of his doctors, he retired. His absence left a large hole in the sport, but there had always been that hope that he would return soon. It's very tough to know that the hole is now permanent. I wish Ramon all the best, and sincerely hope he returns to the sport in some form--it desperately needs a man of Ramon's class and integrity. Read the Blood-Horse article here.

Friday, June 14: Another tough, tough, tough horse that happens to be closely related to Oxbow, Paynter returned to the races today by easily winning an allowance race at Betfair Hollywood Park. Paynter--who finished second to Union Rags in the 2012 Belmont Stakes--nearly died after suffering from colitis last year after winning the Haskell (Gr. I). Colitis has a high mortality rate so it's simply amazing that Paynter was able to not only overcome it, but bounce back well enough to successfully return to the races. Read the Blood-Horse article here.

Saturday, June 15: Tomorrow is the Stephen Foster Handicap (Gr. I) and Fleur de Lis Handicap (Gr.II). The former features Successful Dan, Fort Larned, Golden Ticket, Take Charge Indy, Ron the Greek and Pool Play--about as classy a field as you can get this year. The Fleur de Lis features Royal Delta and a personal favorite of mine, Wine Princess (by Ghostzapper, out of Azeri). My husband and I will be there, so look for a post with photos over the next few days!

Photos from Kentucky (i.e., Stephen Foster, Fleur de Lis, etc.)

Presented are a mix of photos from my phone and our Nikon.

Friday:

Bellamy Road at Winstar

Colonel John at Winstar

Distorted Humor at Winstar

Drosselmeyer at Winstar

Summer Bird at Winstar

Super Saver at Winstar

Tiznow at Winstar

 

Sidney's Candy at Winstar

Giant Oak at Millennium--I was such a big fan of this horse when he raced.

Even the Score (sire of Dullahan) at Millennium

Gio Ponti at beautiful Castleton Lyons

Saturday:

Barn cats are authorized, too!

(Sleepy) Da Hoss at the Kentucky Horse Park

Funny Cide at the Kentucky Horse Park

Go For Gin at the Kentucky Horse Park

Cigar at the Kentucky Horse Park

Some Kentucky Horse Park graves

Famous names, famous stalls (Kentucky Horse Park)

Royal Delta in the paddock for the Fleur de Lis

 Royal Delta by 8 in the Fleur de Lis. It was a thrill

to be there in person for this spectacular performance.

The Stephen Foster--Ron the Greek by a neck!