Kentucky Derby Day 2015 was the best KY Derby to date. The weather was sunny and not overly hot. I started the day early, drove up to Louisville, parked at the Convention Center, and shuttled in to Churchill Downs. I made it to the food stand, got my Brisket sandwich, then made my bets at the window. I went out to the paddock and slowly made my way up to the front, so I could start taking photos of the contenders. I believe it was the 5th race when I found a spot to hanker down in.
Throughout the day a few of us made a small community by the front of the paddock standing our ground. I met new friends that day. Our group contained two sisters from Canada, a mother and daughter from Virginia, and a young gentleman that works for Mark Casse team now. I also realized that year I would have to bring additional batteries for my iPhone since my Nikon was not allowed in the next year. We were all losing battery power by the Official KY Derby race.
The contenders that year were all so good. There were three outstanding ones which included: Dortmund (170 points), American Pharaoh (160 points), and Carpe Diem (160 points). Little did we know that American Pharaoh would go on to win the Triple Crown and Grand Slam that year. That year also brought us Frosted, Keen Ice, Firing Line, and War Story. Since that year we have also lost some contenders – Danzig Moon and Materiality. I cried off and on for a week when Danzig Moon broke down at Woodbine later that Summer. A photo of him hangs on my living room wall.
Below is a photo of a chart of the KY Derby contenders, a link to an excel sheet of all 13 races with winners & contenders, and a gallery of KY Derby 2015 photos follows:
Last modified: April 23, 2020
