The Weather God.

March 23, 2011

I'm often curious about the way the weather plays out on major racedays. In addition to the unfortunate occasions, like 2010 VRC Derby Day, when it does actually rain ALL day, without letting up, what about those days where the sun pops it's head out during cloudy days? And what of days where there are showers on and off? Is there any reason for the timing of the showers, and/or heavy rain, or is it all just random fate? Or, is there really a mean and nasty weather god who sits up in a comfortable chair watching me (ok, not just me, I'm one of several, or many on big days) from above, with his (or her!) heart filled with a delicious sense of being a villian?

Call me suspicious but take a look at some of these examples. Some of these are sometimes shot mere minutes apart. Lovely sunshine/light when the horses file out to the track, then a thick heavy cloud when they turn for home which of course only lasts until they run past you.. By the time they come back to scale, hello, the sun comes back out. It's one of life's real cruelties Or cloudy but perfectly manageable for the parading/cantering shots, then absolutely raining cats and dogs by the time the field jumps or swings for home. I mean it's actually very hard photographing in the rain. Amongst other things I can't see properly! And cameras want to focus on the rain, not the ponies. Like I said, one of life's real cruelties..... And what of a certain two trips up to the Hunter Valley to photograph stallions, where the once in a 100 year 1000km dust storm swept across NSW all the way to Sydney where it resulted in the eerie orange light? And when we rescheduled the shoot, and what appeared the next trip? More raised dust!!!!!

So in case there is a Weather God up there who can be prone to being moody and temperamental, and perhaps likes to retort with a 'you deserved that!', at the risk of being called a suck, I'd just like to say 'please, I beg you, don't rain on Black Caviar, or More Joyous' and 'ok, you made me wet and miserable and one of my cameras fail completely for the Coolmore Classic, and I thought that was mean, but thank you for not raining on More Joyous, and please, oh please, could you be nice on Golden Slipper, TJ Smith Stakes and Doncaster Days'.

It's tricky, very tricky....

Sepoy canters to the barrier before the Todman Stakes

Smart Missile now goes to the barrier

Ah, race is on, and it's raining cats and dogs!

And I can't see a thing!

Shocking in the Australian Cup - humm, where did that thick dark cloud come from and why is it suddenly dark?

Shocking returns to scale after the Australian Cup. Oh, the sun's back!

The gorgeous Black Caviar before the Lightning Stakes. Lovely light.

Bugger it, "where did the sun go?" I think as the great one bounds to the post!

Black Caviar. Before the Moir. Ok, little overcast

Oh, lovely sun, that's more like it, oh please, please, just 5 minutes, I beg you!

Humm, field swings for home, and the sun is suddenly NOWHERE to be seen!

And of course, just after the race, here comes the sun!

Eagle Falls. Didn't bother with a single cantering or headshot, it was still pouring!

Aloho, shortly before her G1 victory, and taken with my other camera, so didn't actually realise that my D3s was going to refuse to work on the race altogether.