Michael Marten, a two-time Eclipse Award-winning photographer, died May 28 of cancer at his Del Mar, Calif., home. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, he was 54.
Marten earned his first Eclipse Award for a photograph of Michael Tabor’s Thunder Gulch bounding out of the starting gate in the 1995 Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course. Thunder Gulch, who had captured that year’s Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Belmont Stakes (gr. I), won that August afternoon and went on to be named champion 3-year-old male.
Marten’s second Eclipse Award came in 1999. Marten photographed jockey Frankie Dettori’s trademark leap off Godolphin’s Daylami following the horse’s triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. IT) at Gulfstream Park. Daylami was voted champion turf male.
Marten’s work appeared in numerous publications including The Blood-Horse, Daily Racing Form, The Thoroughbred Times, and Racing Post.
A memorial service will be held during the Del Mar meeting.
