ACCEPTED INTO THE 2019 DUBAI WORLD CUP!

We are just finishing up the travel arrangements with me going into my second hotel next week. Earlier this month I received my answer from Dubai Racing Club, to notify me on my acceptance earning full Media Accreditation. I am officially in the 2019 Dubai World Cup!

This was not an easy feat. As an applicant in my shoes, one would rarely receive any rights since I am not on assignment working for an editorial or publication - I am working for myself. Thankfully the committee still reviewed my application, viewed my work and then concluded to bring me on board.

It's always been my motto to never give up in accomplishing what you truly want in life. To never take your foot off the gas and to keep pushing forward, no matter what barriers stand in your way. If it wasn't for the airline agent telling me a few weeks ago about the Travel Alert for India, there was a very likely chance that this all could have been called off due to me not finding out before it was too late to do anything. That would have been a very tough pill to swallow. This Travel Alert allowed me to extend my flight by three days to attend this event.

I know that I am still new, however, I truly feel with this achievement that I have just turned the page to a new chapter in my career.

2018 BREEDERS' CUP AT CHURCHILL DOWNS

My experience at this years Breeders' Cup is one that I will never forget. It was one hell of a ride but with every learning experience always comes disappointment - this is how we learn. There are some things that I wish I had done differently. I didn't see it leading up to the event, as I am guessing I was just too full of excitement just to be there and to take it all in. Unfortunately lack of sleep and fatigue were factors. I was just too excited and had too much on my mind to get a proper night's sleep, so I lived off of caffeine for a few days, a lot of it but we all know that it eventually wears off.

It wasn't until my plane heading back home when all the dots connected on how exactly I could have gone about certain things much differently and effectively. It was not a great feeling, in fact it was a downright rotten feeling heading back home, knowing that I let myself down on many fore fronts but the trip in it's entirety was an enormous and incredibly valuable learning experience for me. First time ever being at an event of this magnitude and just the second time photographing Thoroughbred horse racing.

Thanks again to Sarah MacHarg for giving me the opportunity and taking me to the back side. You have taught me many valuable things about the racing world in my four days in Kentucky.

Thank you to Hazel Bennett for trying her darn hardest, offering to get me in her suite up in the front, unfortunately we ran out of time. Throughout the event, I was in touch with a few friends who were also in attendance watching from the stands and unfortunately due to time constraints we were unable to meet up - there is always next time.

I made a bunch of new friends while at the racetrack doing my thing - spectators, Breeders' Cup staff and grooms - It was a pleasure meeting and chatting with all of you, hopefully we can re-connect sometime in the future. Moving forward, as the disappointment sinks in, I know exactly what I have my eyes set on and I have a full year to work towards accomplishing it. What I learned from this experience will be carried over to the future.

Click HERE to view all the photos.

AIDAN O'BRIEN ENTRANCE

To start the first day of the Breeders' Cup yesterday, I was able to catch Aidan O'Brien coming onto the track with his 17 horses, 17 riders and 17 sets of tack that he all brought over from Europe.

You just never see this. :)

PHOTOS FROM THE BREEDERS' CUP

Just a FYI (since many of you are anticipating my photos from it), if you are hoping for or expecting my pictures from the Breeders' Cup in identical fashion that we all see all over media, publications and TV, you will be sorely disapointed because it's not going to happen.

As much as I would love to get those kind of shots, having the spectators from the stands in the back drop (like you've seen in my Millarville Race photos), a clear view to the gates when placed on the front side, I just don't have access to that side of the track.

So as a result, you will NOT see any pictures from the Sprint, the turf races, the full out sprints to the finish, as well as the celebrations. The sprint right out of the gate and the celebrations are easily my favorite parts of horse racing.

I did spend some time at the front today at the paddock. It's very packed but it was still a wonderful experience.

Weather is suppose to be sunnier tomorrow so I am hoping to spend more time in the backside barns. The backside is more restricted and more difficult to have access to than the front side.

I just took a quick snap with my phone after the final race today.

WARM UP AT CHURCHILL DOWNS

We headed to Churchill Downs at 4:30am this morning for warm up day. It rained all morning and afternoon in Louisville, eventually it turned into a downpour but it's better to get the rain out of the way on warm up day than on the race days. 

It got quite muddy but because we arrived at the backside when it was still pitch black out, I wanted to take advantage of the spectacular lighting on the track with the blowing rain. Super excited to day one of the races tomorrow. It will be long day but I can't wait to capture more in the pitch black darkness, it creates for stunning shadow and highlight separation.

Rider is Nick Bush from Lexington, Kentucky.

ON MY WAY TO LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY

This was quite the view, wish I could have used my real camera. :) With a 3 hour overlay here in Chicago, perhaps I should be taking this time to rest since I will not be getting very much of it over the next few days and I am certain that I will be running off nothing but pure adrenaline, which is probably a good thing since I am not a coffee drinker.

Flashback to July at Fleetwood Farms Quarter Horses with Ryan Smith and Brandy Lynn, and those super early starts to the day, this trip to the Breeders' Cup will perhaps take the cake since I have some upcoming 3:30am starts.

Hundreds, if not thousands of other photographers, travel to places like the Churchill Downs Race track, but one extremely valuable lesson that I learned many years ago from a well known travel Landscape photographer, was to ask yourself - To what lengths are you willing to go to, to not only get you the shots that you want but the ones that will make you stand out from the crowd?

I won't give too much away what I have on my shot list, but if all goes well then there will be a visible resemblance from my trip out to Fleetwood Farms Quarter Horses back in July.

Afterall, opportunities like this do not come all the time, so I need to take full advantage of it and jump on each and every photographic moment that presents itself to me over the next 3 days.

I AM RETURNING FOR THE 2019 MILLARVILLE RACES

You may recall that I was taking pictures of Thoroughbred Racing for the first time at the 113th Annual Millarville Races on Canada Day this past July. Well here is the just released Sponsorship Marketing package for the 114th Annual 2019 Show next July, in which 9 of my photos have been selected and put in for this advertisement (on pages 1, 2, 3 and 6).

The committee wants me back for next year, so I am very happy to say that I will be back for the 2019 Millarville Races. Expect bigger and better things this time around (hello V.I.P tent), though some of the photos I took are going to be pretty difficult to top - if I can't beat them this November at the Breeders' Cup in Kentucky.

I can't believe it's already been three and a half months since the Millarville Races have passed, time flies.

Click below to see the 2019 Sponsorship Marketing package.

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