The 2015 Kentucky Derby Festival and the 141st Kentucky Derby and Oaks are now just memories.  The horse racing community turns to Pimlico in Maryland for the Preakness to see if American Pharoah can claim the second jewel in the Triple Crown.

The trip to Kentucky this time was met with a little frustration to start, but it ended up being a fantastic trip.  With the Great Balloon Race getting moved to Friday night, it started the week off with some chaos in our planning.  I certainly did not get my head around my camera for the Balloon Race.  I wanted to do both video and stills, and while the video  turned out fairly well, the stills were pretty much blown out, and that set my photography off on a bad note.

Then the rains on Saturday put a damper on the day.  We still went to Churchill Downs for Downs after Dark, and had a good time, but still the focus wasn’t on photography, but on friends and dealing with colds.

Once Monday arrived and it was time for the Great Bed Races, I fired up in full form.  The Video-vs.-Stills workflow had been worked out and I came back with more than usable photos and a decent video to use as well.

The weather cleared over Louisville and with some great shots and memories from Dawn at the Downs, the Great Steamboat Race and the Pegasus Parade, it was time to roll into the two showcase events:  The Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.

Picking the winner in both races and two absolutely perfect days to be at the track, we contributed to record crowds both days.  I just wish Churchill Downs would let people bring in real cameras.  Still, the photos to remember the day work.

We met plenty of new friends as well as spent time with old school friends and family.  The trip will go down as a complete success as far as a trip goes.  Photographically, 90%.

You can see the best of photos here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/miracle_man/sets/72157652515797272

We will now take a brief hiatus as we work to get ready for next year.  I want to give a big shout out of thanks to the folks at the Kentucky Derby Festival for all they do to put on this great event.