LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is full of spectacle, whether in the stables, on the track, or in the stands.
The horses, glistening with mud and sweat, are on show for a crowd of 150,000 to see. While they parade around in their saddles and horseshoes before the big race, so do the fans, though with different accoutrements: most famously, towering hats made of everything from satin and feathers to cardboard replicas of Churchill Downs.
Photographer Lili Kobielski has photographed the Kentucky Derby for the better part of a decade. Here, she takes us to America’s longest continuously held sporting event on its 150th anniversary for a glimpse of the grit and glamour.
