I’ll Have Another Wins Preakness by a Neck

As usual for the last several years, I covered the Preakness Stakes this past weekend. Preakness is one of the more difficult assignments I cover as it requires a lot of pre-planning, multiple camera positions, and running around.  It’s an extremely long day that if everything comes together can pay off with great  images and a lot of published images.  This year was no different – I ended up making the front page of Yahoo Sports and Fox Sports and was also published on the first and second pages of USA Today’s sports section (in print). Click the link below to read on for some of my images from the weekend.

(Canon EOS 40D, 16 mm, 1/3200, f/5, ISO 640)

This year was no different for hats and there were many out and about.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 200 mm, 1/1250, f/2.8, ISO 200)

A B2 bomber flew over right before the race.  It was practically silent and you could barely see it until it got really close.  It looked like just a line in the sky. What an awesome piece of American engineering.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 70 mm, 1/4000, f/2.8, ISO 200)

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 200 mm, 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 200)

Maroon 5 performed in the middle of the day. I was covering another infield event with only one telephoto lens as I’d left my other cameras in the press box. I was so upset that I didn’t have a wide angle lens or a fisheye when Adam Levine got within 2 inches of me.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 70 mm, 1/1250, f/2.8, ISO 640)

Whiz Khalifa came onto the stage to perform with Maroon 5.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 88 mm, 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 640)

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 200 mm, 1/2000, f/2.8, ISO 640)

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 70 mm, 1/800, f/2.8, ISO 640)

And now for the actual racing photos…

(Canon EOS-1D Mark II, 400 mm, 1/6400, f/2.8, ISO 800)

This is one of my favorite angles. This is shot with a remote camera under the inside rail of the track. Tiger Walk during the first pass of the horses.

(Canon EOS 40D, 16 mm, 1/3200, f/5, ISO 640)

I’ll Have Another pulls ahead of Bodemeister at the finish line.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 145 mm, 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 400)

Here are my remote camera images of I’ll Have Another pulling ahead of Bodemeister. This is the one that ran in USA Today.

(Canon EOS 40D, 16 mm, 1/3200, f/5, ISO 640)

(Canon EOS 40D, 16 mm, 1/2500, f/5, ISO 640)

I’ll Have Another crossing the finish line in front of Bodemeister.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 120 mm, 1/8000, f/2.8, ISO 400)

I’ll Have Another assistant trainer Jack Sisterson jumps onto the track immediately after the win.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 70 mm, 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 400)

I’ll Have Another jockey Mario Gutierrez is congratulated after the win.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 200 mm, 1/2500, f/2.8, ISO 400)

I’ll Have Another owner Paul Reddam holds a replica of the Woodlawn Vase celebrating the win.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 135 mm, 1/2000, f/2.8, ISO 200)

I’ll Have Another jockey Mario Gutierrez holds a replica of the Woodlawn Vase celebrating the win.

(Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 125 mm, 1/4000, f/2.8, ISO 200)

Some of the clippings from after the race.

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Yahoo Sports homepage: