Photo Eclipse to CJ's Clevenger
 

CLEVENGER OF COURIER-JOURNAL WINS 2ND MEDIA ECLIPSE AWARD FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters announced today that Michael Clevenger of Louisville, Ky., has won the 2010 Media Eclipse Award for Photography for his picture of the dramatic finish between Blame and Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on November 6. The photo appeared on the front page of the Louisville Courier-Journal on Nov. 7.
This is the second Eclipse Award for Clevenger, 45, a staff photographer for the Courier-Journal for the past 12 years. He won his first Eclipse Award in 2002 for a photo of that year’s Kentucky Derby finish.

“Winning the Eclipse Award is truly exciting and an honor that leaves me speechless because I am blessed to be recognized for making images of a beautiful sport,” said Clevenger. “I know how hard so many photographers work at their craft and dedicate themselves to photographing horse racing. To be up against them is humbling, and it’s humbling to being even considered for an Eclipse.

“My true reward is to have the opportunity to have the best seats in the house to see racing history made and working at a newspaper that values what I do. I also appreciate the opportunity to make photographs that our readers enjoy seeing. Winning the Eclipse is the icing on the cake.”

The 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic on was one of the biggest moments in sports of 2010. The undefeated 6-year-old mare Zenyatta was trying to repeat as the Classic winner before more than 72,000 fans under darkening skies at historic Churchill Downs, the culminating race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Trailing the field most of the way, Zenyatta unleashed a furious stretch drive but fell short to Blame by a head at the wire.
Clevenger’s ground-level photo captures both Blame and Zenyatta, side by side battling to the wire. The horses are illuminated by the lights of the stretch in the center of the frame with the famed Twin Spires above and the crowd on its feet in the background.

“With Zenyatta’s tendency to run wide, the challenge was to figure out where she might be at the end” said Clevenger. “I timed the shutter release that she would run in the middle of the picture. It’s difficult to know and the horses don’t tell you. It’s definitely a gamble, coupled with the fact that you didn’t know how dark it was going to be for the race.”

Clevenger took the winning photo with a Canon EOS 1D-Mark III.
Honorable mention in the Photography category went to two individuals: Skip Dickstein for his photo of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic, which appeared in the Blood-Horse magazine on November 9 and Barbara Livingston for her photo of Naughty New Yorker breaking from the gate between two horses at Saratoga, which ran in Daily Racing Form on August 2.

Judges in the Photography category were Jim Gensheimer, photojournalist for the San Jose Mercury News; John Engelhardt, director of publicity at River Downs and Dan Johnson of the Des Moines Register.

To be honest, Skip Dickstein entered the same vantage point shot which in my opinion was far more effective. It focused only on the two of them, and the lighting was much more dramatic.

You mean an Eclipse went to someone from KY over someone from NY???? How's that possible?

The winning pic should be the one which has Zenyatta beating blame.. Haven't they created one yet?

The award has been given out for some really awful shots lately... it's nice to see something like this win.

I think it captures it. It has movement and electricity without being overblown. Your eye travels in a circular motion.

I like the background...

I like that there are crowds and there is movement within the crowds but the focus is on Zenyatta and Blame.

In a perfect world we wouldn't have a light pole sticking out of Mikies back but what can you do. It's not horrible...

It's the moment of the year - a moment that defines racing - which doesn't have to make it the winner of course but Jesus looking back on some of the God awful stuff that's won? A nice change.

He sounds shocked and touched and that's always a nice read.

Good for him.

I'd love to see that one.

With this photo, my lurking days are over.

My first thought looking at this is "Really?" I do give some credit here as at least it isn't a picture of a horse tripping over a jump, but compared to past winners, there is nothing remarkable about this picture. As a matter of fact, I'm only a decent photographer and I could have taken a shot like this. So there can only be one reason this won....

Look at the thing. freddymo may be joking but this picture makes it look like Zenyatta won. They appear to be near the edge of the lighting, so it is clearly shot past the line when she actually did get past. Does this have an official name like "Blame Crosses the Line First but Zenyatta Wins Anyway"?

I'd love to see the honorable mentions if anyone knows if/where they may be posted.

You know how I love helping the newbies ( especially when they are personal friends )....

Freddymo is always either joking or drunk.....or both.

Skip Dickstein's Eclipse submission..

Naturally

It's better in respect that the focus of the image actually takes up more than 10% of the image. The background is a little less distinct. Doesn't show very much of Zenyatta though....doesn't look as much like she won....amazing that two of the final three were so similar. I'm sure I saw the third as it was in the DRF but sure don't remember. Do you have a copy of it?

Do you scavenge wrecked CanadianSpaceships?



Or just road kill?