Winners of the Kentucky Derby Photos
Welcome to our Winners of the Kentucky Derby page.
A professional photographer since 1973, Lexington native Bill Straus began his photographic career shooting football games for the Lexington Herald-Leader. By 1977 he was a full-time professional, working for a Lexington television station and later for an advertising design firm. Since 1978 Bill has been free-lancing in the diverse areas of equine, sports, commercial, and advertising photography.
In 1984 Bill was honored with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Photography in Thoroughbred Racing for his photograph of the dramatic finish of the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Classic, which appeared on the cover of The Thoroughbred Record. In 1986 he received an Eclipse Award Honorable Mention for his photograph of jockey Bill Shoemaker draped in the traditional blanket of roses after winning the 1986 Kentucky Derby aboard Ferdinand.