AP photographer Julia Nikhinson was assigned to shoot workouts for three different mornings ahead of the Belmont Stakes. "I arrived at the track at 4:30 a.m. for 5:30 a.m. workouts, giving me time to stake out the area and formulate a plan, as I knew that that would likely be the only day of workouts with good light."

With the Sony Alpha 9 III and Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II, she snapped this shot at sunrise. "The horses were running toward the rising sun, which posed a challenge of making sure that the silhouette was identifiable as a jockey atop a galloping horse."

AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson. Sony Alpha 9 III. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II.

Once Nikhinson had completed her assignment of capturing the contenders, she was able to focus more on feature photos. She switched over to the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II with her Sony Alpha 9 III. "By Thursday morning I had gotten enough photos of the top Belmont Stakes contenders, which allowed me to focus on capturing features. The weather was cloudy, limiting my options at the workout track, so I left to wander the stables. I liked that the combination of orange backlighting, wooden stables, trees and grass created a warmth that wasn’t to be found elsewhere that morning."

AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson. Sony Alpha 9 III. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II.