What started out as taking pictures from the grandstand of a flashy near-white pacer named Blue Canyon has turned into a labour of love and over 500 photographs at Cal Expo by 74-year-old Bill Blakewell.

He takes no money for his efforts. Blakewell’s reward for his work the smiles it brings to people as they see a moment in time that encapsulates the beauty and excitement of the sport.

“I was born in Omaha and then we moved to Oakland when I was three,” Blakewell related. “My mom and my aunt loved the horses and they used to take me to Golden Gate and Bay Meadows, which was my first exposure to the racing.”

While Blakewell made his living in the auto leasing business, photography was one of his passions and he’s found a way to tie that love of snapping pictures with his enjoyment of the horses. “We moved to Davis about 11 years ago, and that’s when I started coming to Cal Expo and watching the trotters and pacers.

“The horse that really caught my eye was Blue Canyon, because he was big and white and almost always went to the front. I took some pictures of him from the grandstand and gave them to his owner Bridget Desomer, who posted some of them at the program stand where she worked.”

When people saw the pictures, they asked Desomer who had taken them and she sent them in Blakewell’s direction, including several owners and trainers who liked his work.

“They started coming to me and asking me if I would be interested to take pictures of their horses, and I really enjoyed the entire process of going to the barn area and also photographing them during the races.”

Blakewell estimates he has taken some 500 pictures at Cal Expo and has never charged a penny for any of them. The look on the people’s faces when he presents them is all the payment he needs.

Bill was particularly proud when a composite of pictures he took of the horses My Tryin Ryan and High Dollar were part of the ceremony at Kent Fox’s funeral, spotlighting the late horsemen’s love for Standardbreds at his remembrance.

“One of my favourite series of shots was of My Tryin Ryan right after his race,” Blakewell noted. “Kent would put out his head and it would look like the horse was going to take a bite out of him, but what he would do is actually kiss Kent.”

On several occasions, Blakewell has put together a montage of sorts on particular horses that start at the barn area, follow them to the paddock, including several shots during the actual running of the race and then follow the performer back to the barn.

“I’ve also been able to take some very nice shots with drivers like Steve Desomer and Steve Wiseman, who have been great to be around.”

Owner KC Carvalho and trainer Tim Brown are also big fans of Blakewell’s work and he has taken many pictures of their trotters and pacers over the last several years, in addition to many horsemen who enjoy his work and want to be part of what is a growing portfolio of Cal Expo memories.

Sire Stakes, Distaff Open Share The Marquee

A pair of $10,000 Sire Stakes for three-year-olds and a Filly-Mare Open Pace that brings out a powerful pair of stablemates in Show Runner and Strings are the main attractions on Sunday’s Cal Expo program.

A 13-race card is on tap with first post set at 4:55 p.m. The sire stakes event for pacing fillies is the third race, the Distaff Open occupies the fifth-race slot, and the sire stakes for the trotters will go as a non-betting event prior to the regular program.

Smash has captured three of the first four big-money engagements for the three-year-old pacing fillies and looms the one to beat in that sire stakes event. A homebred daughter of Little Steven, she is owned by Billie Schwartz and Junior Wilkinson, takes her lessons from Wilkinson and will have Luke Plano in the sulky.

Taking her on this weekend are Avila Beach with Mooney Svendsen guiding from the rail; Speak English, who has the services of Tim Maier; Pips Valentina with Dave Siegel; and Little Cher Amo from the outside with James Kennedy guiding.

Sandys Song has dominated her sophomore trotting rivals thus far and is looking for her fifth straight trophy in the other sire stakes event. Henry Wieseneck owns the daughter of Claudius Augustus with Bob Johnson training and Steve Wiseman in his usual spot in the sulky. Cadet (Steve Desomer), Zoeys Delight (Mooney Svendsen) and JK Journey (Leon Smith) round out the cast.

Trainer Gene Vallandingham is strongly represented in the co-featured Distaff Open with Show Runner and Strings in the cast. Show Runner is fresh from an impressive win at this level while doing her work from the demanding Post 10 last week in her first start since October at Saratoga.

Racing secretary Robin Schadt has once again assigned Show Runner the 10 slot for Sunday’s gathering, while Strings will depart just to her inside in Post 9. Challenging them are Stable Eyes, Part Time Lady and Live Love Laugh.

(Cal Expo)