Kat’s Eye: Friday Breeders’ Cup Spotlight on Rosie

It’s early on Saturday morning as I write this, the week of Breeders’ Cup having caught up with me after an exciting opening day that featured four championship races, the results of which were reported hours ago. 
Since that’s not what I do, I surrendered to exhaustion and got a few hours sleep before heading back to Santa Anita. 
Friday, had begun again at 4 a.m., but it felt decidedly different as we walked from the far end of the parking lot marked for employees and press to the gate at the backside,
It was quiet, and the reserved parking, the spots for the top trainers and jockeys, were mostly empty. Only a few horses were walking toward the track, and the barns were relatively still as we walked past. The main track was closed at 6:45 a.m., so training was done early to allow the grounds crew to groom the turf and the main track to prepare for the first post at 11:25 a.m. PT

The weather was another variant, with heavy low clouds hanging on the peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains and the sun cutting through to shine light on the grounds of a track that was now calm and empty. Employees and media were among the few people tending to business, preparing for the crowds that would arrive in a few hours.
As you may know, this is my first Breeders’ Cup, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share my view and experience with readers through my blogs here on America’s Best Racing. On Thursday, the photography coordinator held a meeting to assign the positions that various media outlets would have at the rail to capture finish line, gallop back and winner’s circle photos. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of photographers on assignment here, so you can imagine that I was far down the list, being that I am not reporting “hard news.”
I was content, however, to have relatively unencumbered access to my favorite spot, at the turn into the homestretch.  A half a dozen other photographers would end up positioning themselves there, too, but I was free to get the shots that I like on race days. 
My gig is behind the scenes - the stories that most people don’t see - and this is the spot where things start to happen.  The drama of the field coming around the turn, with dirt or turf flying, and seeing horses take position or make their move … it happens here.
Another meeting, to cover photography rules and pick up vests, was Friday morning.  Guidelines were covered, questions were answered, and then a line of photographers paraded to the photo room to check in and pick up their vests.

The official Breeders’ Cup photographers have access to everything and can be recognized by their blue vests. Winner’s circle is the next level, marked by a red vest. Trackside access is denoted with a green vest, and other photographers are relegated to picking out a spot amidst the crowd to get the shot they desire.
I was handed a red vest in the photo room, and after conferring with other photographers for ABR, offering to exchange it for simple trackside access, we determined that everyone really had what they needed and that I should keep the red vest. 
This is a fun and hard-working team that shows respect to each other and the work that each person produces. It’s a refreshing environment to be in, marked by cooperation rather than competition.
I had a couple of hours until the first post, so I scouted out my spot and talked with the security guards, introducing myself and checking with them on the spot where I would jump up on the retaining wall to gain access to my spot at the rail. Then, we settled on a bench just outside the tunnel nearest Clocker’s Corner and enjoyed the cool breeze and slightly overcast sky as I explained the program, my modest understanding of handicapping and how to place a bet with my fiancé, who was attending his very first Thoroughbred horse racing event. Talk about starting at the top, huh?
With everything that has been going on this week, it wasn’t until people began showing up in costumes that we were reminded that it was Halloween. 

And while seats began to fill, there was still plenty of room to move around and to view the races, as well as to easily spot friends as they called and waved to me while I worked.

In the seventh race, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, in which Goldencents went wire-to-wire and gave the crowd a thrilling finish, the equine ambulance went past me as I walked toward the winner’s circle. As I inquired in the crowd of photographers, no one knew which horse had pulled up or how bad it was. 
I learned about five minutes later, by checking Twitter, that the No. 3 horse, Vicar’s in Trouble, had been taken off the track with a reported minor injury that did not require a splint. What seemed like good news at first became much more concerning later when was diagnosed with a condylar fracture in his left front leg. He will have surgery Saturday and will be in everyone’s thoughts as we hope for a complete recovery.

Another minor incident occurred just as the eighth race entrants were being loaded into the starting gate, when Lady Zuzu, the 2-year-old filly from the barn of Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, was scratched from the Juvenile Fillies Turf, Her tack was removed and Lady ZuZu was led up the rail and back to her barn. From my position, on the dirt track at the rail of the turf course, I could see the gash in her right rear ankle that had caused her to be scratched. 

What the crowd could not see was the outrider, gently stroking Lady Zuzu’s neck and talking to her to keep her calm as they trotted along their path.

The final Breeders’ Cup race of the day was the Distaff, and I was fortunate to capture jockey Rosie Napravnik on her trip around the turn, guiding Untapable into position to make her move and take the lead heading toward the finish line. 

Shortly after leaving the winner’s circle, Rosie announced her retirement following Saturday’s races, but not before she showered the connections of her winning mount with handfuls of flowers from the Breeders’ Cup floral blanket in her lap.