(Thorpedo Anna makes one last turn at Churchill Downs’ paddock / All Photos by Holly M. Smith)

Editor’s Note:

There’s few things in life that I enjoy more than a day at Churchill Downs. The mornings are so busy, and yet so quiet. The sound of horse’s hooves slipping through the dirt and the chants of the exercise riders doing their morning calisthenics please the ear. The sight of a young 2YO changing gears from a gallop into a breeze never draws old. The smells of sweet feed being poured into each and every feed bucket makes both the horse’s nose and my nostrils flicker. You just feel alive on a brisk Autumn morn like it is chilly, yet warming at the same time.

When I can’t be there in person, I rely on my friend Holly M. Smith to capture the moments.

Her photos are my window and I readily cast the frame to the heavens and let the sights, sounds and smells all fill my imagination and my day.

Here’s a few of her looks from this past Sunday.

Enjoy.

Incredibolt: 

Very Connected: 

Universe: 

Vost: 

Time for Money: 

Life of Joy: 

Josie Joe:

The Grumpy Rabbit:

Life of Joy: 

The Sights…The Sounds…The Instructions…The Stumbles…The Wins…Oh, Those Precious Wins…

The Grand Champ: Thorpedo Anna:

White Tiger:

The Fans of Tomorrow Are Here Today…

Graced: