The First Seconds

There’s a relentless rhythm to horse racing.

But there’s more to a race than speed alone. Every jockey fights for position, every movement matters, and sometimes the outcome is decided by the smallest of margins. It all happens so quickly that it can be hard to follow the action as it unfolds.

I once managed to get unusually close to the starting line. These photos capture the race in its opening seconds.

Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia.
June, 2009.
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