Matt Winn
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- Aquamarine
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- Mo’s Mojo
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- Detail on Jon Court’s saddle
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- McCraken heading to the track for the Matt Winn
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- McCraken
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- Brian Hernandez Jr. all smiles aboard McCraken prior to the Matt Winn
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- McCraken and Hernandez Jr.
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- McCraken
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- McCraken en route to victory in the Matt Winn
Wise Dan Stakes
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- Eventual winner Kasaqui
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- Bondurant, McCraken’s 4-year-old half-brother
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- Conquest Panthera
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- Kasaqui
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- Kasaqui charging to the wire
Fleur de Lis
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- Carrumba, looking incredibly stately entering the paddock
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- Forever Unbridled, the best shot I was able to get of the eventual victor
Stephen Foster Handicap
My main lure to Downs After Dark, in addition to just being at live racing again, was Gun Runner. He appeared to be the class of the field, and rocketed to the lead almost immediately when the gates opened. Not only did he run as one would hope the class of the field would, even when the horses began to bunch up around him at the top of the stretch and I wondered if he had enough left to hold them off, he found another gear and drew away to win by seven lengths, the largest winning margin in the race’s history. He looked incredible in the paddock (though it was getting tricky with the low light to get an image that properly reflected that), and it was incredibly thrilling to see how dominant he was in the race and how the way he looked in the paddock translated to such a topnotch performance. I also included my video from the race.
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- Stanford
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- Bird Song
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- Gun Runner
Conclusion
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- Fireball Shot prior to the last race of the evening. I love that I clicked the shutter just in time to capture this candid moment as his jockey interacted with someone in the crowd
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- Tapsolute, prior to the last race of the evening
I lingered a bit longer after the last race for a bit more of the party atmosphere as a DJ spun some songs and the plaza became a dance floor. I definitely felt celebratory after witnessing Gun Runner’s win!
Called To The Post 