Luis Diaz. Yes there are removable slices to remove at racing time, when they are dirty. The same as in motocross etc.

25th catches the perfect victory moment, with the winner high up in the air, far ahead of others on the ground. Awesome collection.

Also interesting to note is the contrast in the expressions on the face of the jockey and the winning horse in pictures 28 and 29. Someone go tell the little guy that he won!

@9: i also heard a few comparisons to Seabiscuit as they are both "small", compact horses that MOVE when asked.

I Want Revenge in #5 looks like a happy horse.

I love the Derby - the most frat-tastic party of the year!

I keep checking to see if The Big Picture will do Swine Flu/H1N1. The photos I've seen from Mexico City and other places battling the deadly disease have been very interesting. I'm kind of surprised this has been ignored by The Big Picture thus far.

As an ex-Louisvillian, these photos make me homesick. :-(

Disappointing collection :(.. where are the innovative snaps ?

Pic#15 is really nice.......

Actually Jam and Luis Diaz, they are not removable slices, they are different pairs of googles layered on top of each other. On a sloppy track, jockeys will wear 5-6 pairs of google and pull each dirty pair down as the race goes on. Picture 26 is a perfect example of this. :)

Absolutely sensational photos...and wonderful to see Calvin shine...great horse, great jockey, great ride...one to remember.

I often talk for my animals (often at the embarrassment of my wife). In #29, I think I would say on behalf of Mine That Bird ... "Is all this fuss about l'il old me?"

Hat #15 was bought at the Luna Boutique in Louisville, KY . Beautiful!
www.lunaboutique.net

I had been a Photo Editor for 20+ years and these photos are beautifully edited for this space.
Hats off to you!

Gotta love Calvin Borel and Mine That Bird! They are two creatures with a lot of heart! Thanks for the fantastic show!

#20 shows how awesome of a comeback it truly was. Great job by the jockey and horse.

heureusement qu'il y a aussi des images comme celles ci,

Rakesh, you are NUTS! These photos are phenomenal. I've been looking at Derby photos all weekend, and this is by far the best collection I've seen.

#29 is the best!

Yesssss! Bosssssss !!!!

I liked all the pics, except for that HAT. What the heck was 'she' thinking?

It is a sad reflection of today's sporting news that my first nagging thought when I read about this (I'm a Brit and don't know anything about the Kentucky Derby), is to wonder whether drugs played a part in what appears to have been a sensational victory. And Lance Armstrong is an idol of mine too. Shame on me.
I'm sorry, Mine That Bird & team: innocent until proven guilty. Congratulations.

MTB looks like a sweet, soft eyed horse. And what a heart!!! Inspirational pictures. This little guy never looked ahead and thought "I can't do THIS". He just made his mind up to lead to the pack. And he did. Hope someone takes good care of him when the owner gets done running him into the ground. Which he will do b/c MTB is a gelding and of no value once he's done racing (unlike a colt).

Mine that bird.. way to go!!! what a beautiful horse. I hope you win the triple crown.

#22 the best in my view. Awesome power and speed.

#29 is the best editorially, because the horse is often lost as the central athlete.

#28 loveable clown.

After seeing these, I hope someone gets the idea of placing more trackside auto-cameras, even overhead cams could be placed without much of an obscuring profile. These kinds of photos are invaluable propaganda for the race and horse racing

One of the greatest exploitations of animals for human amusement. Whoopee!

Fantastic photos. I'll always remember making bets on Kentucky Derby Day....and watching from my silk upholstered chair. An amazing race.

My heart just kept thumping, what a victory. I love the fact that he was classified as a underdog. What a great race. These are beautiful pictures.

These pictures are amazing!
Those horses are beautiful. Congrats Mine That Bird!
They all look like happy and healthy horses, i bet they are spoiled!
At least they don't have to jump the fences like in Brittain, Grand National.
Churchill Downs to me is like a legendary place, i know all the stories.
Remember Secretariat, Man O' War!

Someone mentioned something about the horses wishing they had goggles too. Horses have a third eyelid that can wipe away the mud for them.

http://horseracing.about.com/od/famoushorses/a/aa052304a.htm

Man O'War "The Legend"

these pictures are awsome

I love photo #26 showing horse & jockey before the start of their gallant run. NM horses rule...

#1 is amazing

BEAUTIFUL PICS! AWESOME !!!
I am so glad I was able to experience this event!

Great photos ! ...but I hate to break it to all you folks inspired by the horse's 'heart'..

A horse has absolutely no concept of what a race is. It has no concept of what a contest is, nor does it winning or losing. And it certainly has no concept - at least in the sporting sense - of determination to win such an event.

The horse simply runs, as trained, when the jockey urges it to.

Some horses really won't run when they get mud in their faces; I've seen it happen. In spite of the nictitating membrane that helps keep the horse's eyes clean, they can still get muck in there (remember how fast the horse, and thus the muck, are traveling!). After horses are cooled out, the groom will actually blow the dirt out of their eyes.

Yes, these horses are very well cared for by their grooms (contrary to the belief of many). As for their baths after morning workouts or races, most love that as well...some of the expressions I've seen over the years are great. If they could talk, I'd expect them to say, "Ahhhhh....a little to the left, please!". Even more fun is using a hose and spraying up so that the water falls on them like rain. More often than not, the horse will close his eyes, purse his lips and "smile" as the water rains down on them.

Gosh, I miss the days when I worked with these guys!

Had a great $500+ day at Suffolk Downs because of Mine That Bird, thanks again buddy. :)

Cool! I love horses alot and I love watching them

He looks just like his horse
o.O

#54, Rainy Daze wrote: "A horse has absolutely no concept of what a race is. It has no concept of what a contest is, nor does it winning or losing. And it certainly has no concept - at least in the sporting sense - of determination to win such an event."

I think most folks who have spent a lot of time around horses would beg to differ with your opinion. Just watching them at play in the field, you can't help but notice how some dominate others, how they race each other around, and strive to be in the lead. I think it is very much in the nature of some horses to want to be in front.

Horsemama: I totally agree with you.
Rainy Daze: True, horses don't know the WORDS race or contest. But they know everything about winning, losing, and determination...even if they don't understand the "concept" per se. Their motivation for their determination and eagerness may be different than the jockeys on their backs, but nonetheless horses can be very determined. It's funny that you think they do what they do b/c they're told to. HA! You must've never tried to get a horse to do something he refused to do. You undermine what these horses do.

#28, "Precious, precious, precious!" Gollum cried. "My Precious! O my Precious!"
(and great pictures too).

Beautiful ... simply beautiful! True moments caught forever within the instance of a camera 'click'....

I wish Hunter S Thompson was still alive :(

I like how MTB's bridle is very similar to a western style bridle. What a reflection of his trainer!

So why snub the owner who is 'just a cowboy"? There are no pictures of him here! His video interviews are not even on the official youtube site for the derby. I hope he sticks it to the snobs at the Preakness.

MTB was MUCH THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In response to "Rainy Daze" opinion of what horses do or don't understand.
I've been around horses all my life in different aspects, and I assure you that though they don't know the words win or lose,they do know when they have done their best--in the case of racehorses especially. When they pull up and are being walked back to the barn, you can see the ones who thought they won even if they were last because they tried.
Maybe more people should be like that.

Where is Bennie Wooley and the exercise rider and the groom of Mine that Bird, they are the winners along with the horse and the jockey who did a masterful ride!! Great pictures but they miss par of the big picture!!

Fabulous Pictures! The race was GREAT!! love those horses!!

Obviously 'Rainy Daze' has never owned or cared for a horse...even when I was a kid and my cousins and I would race our horses across the back field it was obvious to all of us that the horses got every bit as much of a kick out of the race as we did. Since that time (and MANY horses later) I'm still equally certain that this is the case. I am continually amazed at the ideas that non-animal people get about what animals do or don't think, like, etc.

Gorgeous photos!

Excelentes fotos, todas de una calidad excepcional, me recuerdan las tomas en la película de Seabiscuit. Gracias.

Wonderful set of pictures. Thanks very much. I esp. like #20, the one taken at the first turn. Caption should read "I think I can, I think I can".

Also, thanks for #8, the closeup of Rachel Alexandra. A great picture of a beautiful lady.

Great pics! In #26, the close-up of Calvin, he's trying to hold back tears. He's a good ol' boy from Lousiana, a MudBug. The first thing he said to the NBC announcer was that he wished so much his parents could have been there, they would have been so proud. But they are both deceased. Winning the Derby 2 of 3 runs in a major feat. You'd be trying not to cry, too, as it is a very emotional race. That's why it's called the best 2 minutes in sports!

Photo #29 basically says it all. Yeah, I may have been the underdog, but just look me. Ain't I gorgeous? It's the look of a winner! Now, where's my damn mint julep?

WOW ... awesome and unbeleivable aspects of photo capturing ... thanks alot

Outstanding Derby documentary! Thank you, Mind that Bird and Calvin Borel. We need the magic you delivered. May you live strong and long. Betsy Herrmann

these are great pictures.."The Little Engine that Could"..This is part of the reason the sport of Horse Racing is so beautiful in so many ways ..It needs to be there, always.

These pictures are phenomenal and make me feel like I was right there in each one of them; I tasted the earth in my mouth when I viewed #23 ... the picture is alive!
"MTB " and Mr. Borel handled the track with yeoman qualities, it made me cry.

To me these are second-rate pictures from a huge number of different photographers. Cliched, predictable. - in a sort of cheesy house style. Maybe the huge plethora of images is overwhelming serious photography in the U.S. Why not give the job to one really good photographer?

Give them credit, with odds of 50 to 1 and they where number 1 !!!!!

Well I guess maybe we all need to take a step back and realize that ANY horse can win the Run for the Roses. :)

All the sensitive, appreciative comments here fail to cover those cynical ones, lacking in empathy and insight. Good horse people give their lives to creatures who sense being well-cared for. Horses have intuited situations for me that saved my life, not once or even twice, but at least three times I can document. One, a mare that had been brutally, consistently, purposefully mistreated though her twentieth year, changed completely under care that nurtured her, becoming a beautiful, trusting, engaging creature. Horses should not be considered livestock, sold on a whim, slaughtered under senseless, brutal conditions. That comes from a mind-set equating them with a commodity. There is so much to other creatures.

Horses helped building the great country of the USA! They were very important in The New World. They will always belong in the history and future of the US.
That's why i honor them at the tracks and in the open fields.
My horse is a son of American horses. He's very loyal, sweet, interested in everything and he loves to work and play.

My Kingdom For A Horse! Bless the American horses.

The Goggles. The jockey will wear up to 8 pairs of goggles on a muddy day. Right before they load in to the gate they pull all of their googles down around their eyes. As the race unfolds and the top pair becomes masked with mud, they pull that pair down and then have a fresh, clear view. Once the next top pair is masked in mud, again, they pull that one pair down and once again have a clear view. The trick lies in not running out of goggles before the finish line!

WOW!!! The Little Horse that Could!!! And, what about that Calvin Borel. I am so proud to be a Kentuckian....everyone else...........eat your heart out!!!!!

These are really some awesome pictures. #6 looks like he's praying for "mine that bird". And I love #26.

you've given me much joy by those photos. i think it shows how much we all love the winner who seems to have the deck stacked against him. there has to be a mental state in that jockey that is purely poetic to be able to transcend the negative picture presented in the beginning of the race.

That was asome

I guess Dave in Comment #79 could have done better !! I thought these were
wonderful photos.
Can't you just give those associated with them proper kudos ??

GREAT Pictures!!

Unfortunate that the trainer was not mentioned in any of the photos. The person responsible for all of the work that went into getting the horse TO the Derby.

I've been an addict to your blog since it opening day, and as a photographer myself I would say that this entry was spectacular for its photo essay & storytelling. A very well plan of photo arrangement from the event, the player, the environment to the race itself. Congratulation on making this happen Alan! u deserve a standing ovation for your work.

In reference to comment #91, picture #6 is an image of Mine That Bird's trainer, even though it just his shadow.

A horse is a horse of course of course but no one could win the course of course unless the horse is of course the famous Mr. Bird! Favorite photo #21 Calvin Borel riding Mine That Bird a man and his horse become one!

Hi. I am totally new about Internet and blogging. I just serve around to see what other people have. I am professional photograpf by my self and first discorvery now the possibilities here.

As someone who cares for the backside workers on a daily basis, I too would have liked to see a few more pics and recogition of their efforts. That being said those pictures rock!!!

WOW and double WOW! Makes me want to sing-----The sun shines bright in my Old Kentucky Home..........

GREAT!!!
That Louisiana Boy can bring them in..

prooves that horse-sense alone can push the animal from last to first. well done horse.

Thanks for the great pics. Where are all the backside workers?

Great point, #40. What do you do with a gelding that is too old to run, but too young .......
Tommy

Man o man,
Those are the best Kentucky Derby shots I've ever seen!
What an eye this photographer has.
Thanks so much for sharing these fantastic photos!!!

I have never before seen the whole field appear to be stuck in mud. What a ride!

To K. K. about this being a big exploitation of animals, this breed would not and did not exist until they were bred for racing. Please keep your ignorant, pseudo holy attitude out of Kentucky and stay in your fake world.

Fabulous photography - so neat to see all " hooves" off the ground at once.
Thank you for sharing.

Who is this "Rainy Daze?" Why would someone who knows nothing about horses make such a comment? We should all be very careful about the comments we make for the whole world to see when we blog. More times than not, ignorance is hard to hide. Thoroughbreds are bred to race. They do know what it is to be competitive, to win and to want to be in front. If they don't, we retire them.

I have been able to go first class one time to the Kentucky Derby. And will never forget how wonderful aday it was. Proud to say I'm from Kentucky. A wonderful and beautiful State.

Some of these action shots show what TRULY BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS horses are. There is NOTHING like the grace of a horse in stride.

I enjoyed these wonderful pictures so very much. This was much better than being at the Race Track.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

nice animals and great picture!

I love to watch the Kentucky Derby.. and these pics are awesome...
THANKS for sharing them....L Stayton...Lebanon Ky....

It made my pulse race just looking at these photos...

awsome pics great i wish i had the talent

i love horses:)

YOUR PHOTOS ARE IDEAL.YOU SHOW THE TRUE ENTHUSIASM OF THE THRILL OF THE RACE..EVEN THOUGH WE WERE ACTUALLY PRESENT FOR THE RACE, AT CHURCHILL, WE DID NOT EXPERIENCE IT OR SEE IT AS VIVID LY AS IN .YOUR PHOTOS,
YOU MANAGED TO TAKE US ON A BEAUTIFUL TRIP TO MY HOMETOWN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS ARE TRULY A MAGINFICENT, ENTHRALLING AND EXCITING TO THE POINIT OF INTOXICATION, PIECE OF WORK
YOU"VE WON US OVER, .CAN"T WAIT FOR YOUR VIEWS NEXT YEAR
WHO NEEDS A MINT JULEP ANYWAY?