(A Hat “Trick” / All Photos by Holly M. Smith)

(Trainer Cherrie DeVaux, Rider Jose Ortiz and the Kentucky Derby winner — Golden Tempo / All Photos by Holly M. Smith)

Editor’ Note:

I ask a lot of Holly M. Smith. In addition to her day job, which helps her take care of about 5 dogs, 4 cats, and a partridge in a pare tree, I ask her to cover all the major events leading up to and surrounding huge race dates at Churchill Downs.

She never wavers. She never treads lightly. She just agrees and goes mightily on.

This year, I had a big ask. This year, the lovely LA and I were headed out on Wednesday of Kentucky Derby week to go to East Lansing, MI to watch and celebrate our youngest son’s graduation from Michigan State. I was going to miss the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 27 years. I was going to be in several states away, who don’t know it is a crime against humanity to have another function on Kentucky Derby Day. I was right where I wanted and needed to be — beside Leigh Ann;  inside the Michigan state lines, outside the Shively city limits; and side to side with the man of the hour — the young and aspiring James William Thacker.

So, I asked the wonderful Holly M. Smith to not only take her best photos — which she always does.

I asked her to post as much and as many as she could so that everybody in social media could get her views in a timely way.

She never hesitated.

She readily agreed.

And, she was just as the headline above suggests — Incredible.

Here’s some of her looks on Kentucky Derby Day.

They are amazing.

Just not as amazing as she is.

All Photos by Holly M. Smith: