For our first Fan Friday, I wanted to profile a fellow fan that I met via social media who has inspired many a conversation about the role of the fan in horse racing. Amanda Lee fell in love with racing as she watched Barbaro capture our hearts in 2006, and, in the last decade and a half, she has maintained that love through her education and transition into her career as a physical therapy assistant. Her passion for the sport and its champions has taken her all the way to Santa Anita for the Breeder’s Cup and inspired a series of gorgeous portraits of a number of champions, including this amazing portrait of Sir Barton that she did for yours truly.
Welcome Amanda to our first Fan Friday here on Foxes of Belair!
Name: Amanda Lee
Role in racing: I’m just a fan! However I’ve sort of become known on Twitter for my watercolor horse portraits, and a small handful of popular owners and trainers have paintings of mine hanging around.
Favorite moment at a racetrack: I’d dreamed of attending a race in person my whole life, but distance and being relentlessly busy with school made it difficult. I finally got to attend the 2019 Breeder’s Cup. It was a dream come true. The very first Breeder’s Cup race was the Filly and Mare Sprint, and I gotta watch Covfefe (a horse I’d fallen irrationally and completely in love with all year long) cross the wire first. It’s a moment I’ll cherish forever. I’ll also always remember the couple sitting next to me looking a bit glum as I jumped up screaming Covfefe down the final stretch. They must’ve had a losing bet.
Turf or dirt: Dirt is what I feel in love with first, so I’m definitely partial. But I love to watch a good turf battle!
Favorite piece of racing memorabilia: I’ve got a growing collection of hats that I’m quite fond of. Some I’ve purchased, some I’ve won in giveaways, and some have been sent to me by owners/trainers of my favorite horses! I’ve also got Breyer models of my top 3 favorite horses–Barbaro, Zenyatta, and Covfefe.
Person you’d like to meet: This is so hard to choose! I’ve interacted with many kind people in racing through Twitter and I’d love to meet any of them in person. My favorite horse running right now is Swiss Skydiver, so how about Kenny McPeek?
Horse you’d like to meet: Covfefe, Zenyatta, and Swiss Skydiver–I would probably cry if I met any of them in person! I’d also love to go to Coolmore or Lanes End to meet a few of my favorite stallions.
Favorite race: 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic. Watching it always gives me the chills! The 2019 Test Stakes and 2020 Preakness also rank high up there.
Finish this sentence: I wish I could visit all of the big tracks and see some big races! I’ve got Santa Anita down, and hope to go to Del Mar next… after that, perhaps Saratoga or Belmont? Visiting more tracks is definitely on my bucket list for the next couple of years!
How would you get new fans into racing? All it takes is that one horse to fall in love with and you’re sold! Many people have “that one horse” that brought them into the game. For me it was Barbaro. I wanted to learn everything I could about him, and the books and articles that I read helped me to fall in love with the sport. A surefire way to get people invested is by sharing the stories of these individual horses and their connections, sharing the highs and lows and triumphs and challenges. That’s what horse racing is about and when you hear these stories, it’s not hard at all to fall in love.