- This topic has 200 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 8 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Just over a week ago, I had the privilege of attending the races at Warwick – a very fine racecourse in a tremendous little town.
While I were there, I noticed something rather odd. Almost everybody there was white. Indeed, throughout the course of the day, I counted seven non whites… Two of whom were collecting rubbish, two were working in a security capacity, there were two patrons (both accompanied by whites) and Rishi Persaud. There was a guy in a Mr Blobby costume but based on statistical inference, I can only assume that he was both a ‘he’ and decidedly white. It’s quite ironic that the only White horse in training won the feature that day…
Thinking a little deeper, insofar as jockeys are concerned, only Saleem Golam, Sean Levey and Royston Ffrench come to mind and forgive me if I’ve overlooked anybody but I can’t think of a single non-white trainer (with the exception of those of middle eastern heritage). Jumps racing being devoid of either as far as I can recollect.
Is this an issue that wants addressing?
Is this an issue where a concerted effort needs to be applied?
Or is it nice to have at least one refuge from woolly-minded political correctness?Indeed, while I’m asking, is anybody reading this post “non-white”?
Interesting point. My view is that with the participants in the sport coming from either Ireland or rural Britain (neither of which are exactly ethnically diverse), then it would be a surprise for them not to be white, to be honest.
Anyway, if we’re talking about ethnic minorities in the sport, remind me who the chairman of Cheltenham racecourse is? And what about his son, the chap who won the Gold Cup in 2011? And I honestly don’t think you can include Middle Eastern trainers in the white category really.
As far as the fans go, well, I’m (albeit white passing) Eurasian and my cohost on Over The Last is a Person of Colour. I tend to go the courses near London, and there’s always a few ethnic minority fans, although the overwhelming majority of the crowd are white. But then again, are there any sports where it’s REALLY that different?
Twitter=@PGHenn
So don't run, just like the others always do
I was thinking the same thing the other day when I was watching a black spokesperson for a betting company discussing the market’s. But to answer your questions at the end
1. No it’s not an issue that needs addressing
2. No a concerted effort is not needed.
3. Not so much as a refuge from political correctness, more an issue for basic cop on.There are no barriers based on race to black people, white people, Asians, Africans, Americans etc from following horse racing, from getting involved as owners, trainers and jockeys. the fact that so few black people have an interesr in horse racing is exactly that … it’s a fact, and under no circumstances should an artificial diversity be encouraged. Of course it would be great to see people of every race colour and creed at race meetings, but lets not artificially create it, let it happen naturally and if it doesn’t then so what. Just my tuppence worth
i do not believe this issue needs addressing,whatever colour/ethnic background turn up at the gates they would be welcome.
Do people ask for a bigger push to help white sprinters in athletics?
At times i think ‘we’ look for problems that dont existThis post reminded me of the time back in the 80’s, when I went to fish a match fishing qualifier at Small Heath park Birmingham on the boating lake, and noticed there were not many “white folks” about.
I still smile when I think about this match, when the organiser told me that I had got the tactics wrong, and should have been loose feeing curry and fishing chapati on the hook.
Mike.
I’m a Quadroon, although I have a feeling I’m guilty of an auto-racial slur by still using that colourful term. My paternal grandfather was from Trinidad and the son of a freed slave
No wonder I’m in love with Rishi
As for the question posed by the OP: worth asking but a red herring I think. Negative discrimination is detestable, positive discrimination less so; but the latter is still negative as it promotes on the basis of ethnicity and/or gender rather than ability. All should be judged on ability alone
The cream of whatever hue will rise to the top: In the context of this thread I give you Ken Pitterson as an example
Thinking a little deeper, insofar as jockeys are concerned, only Saleem Golam, Sean Levey and Royston Ffrench come to mind and forgive me if I’ve overlooked anybody
You can also add Shashi Righton, albeit by his own admission he’s done better as an agent than a jockey having taken on Mickey Fenton during the Speciosa days and more recently overseen the rise of Tom Marquand.
Righton’s dressing-room nickname was “Osama”, and as far as I’m aware he never especially challenged that. He alone, I suspect, will be able to confirm whether that was because he didn’t mind it, or because he daren’t.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
If the make-up of the regulars at the betting shops I used to frequent in Birmingham and still frequent in Sheffield are any guide, there’s certainly a tangible interest in betting on the sport among those of Indian and Afro-Caribbean heritage.
What stops them converting that interest into actual racegoing is perhaps the issue. Is there a sense in which they feel they’d not be welcome even at somewhere with as few airs and graces or overt social strictures as, say, a midweek evening event at Wolverhampton?
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
I don’t think “Horse Racing” is a “White pastime”; but “going horse racing” seems to be.
If looking at the average betting shop you’ll probably see a wide variety of races interested in the racing. May be it would be an idea for someone to undertake a questionaire to see why so few of them bother going racing? On the evidence of Honk Kong, Sinapore and Japan there’s one race who love the sport.
Is it because Racing is seen as an elite sport?
EDIT: Great minds think alike Jeremy.
Value Is EverythingBack in the early 80’s, I had the, ahem, pleasure of occasionally managing the Stanley Racing shop underneath Hockley Flyover in Birmingham.
This question would not have occurred to me then.
As others have said however, whilst going racing is a predominantly ‘white’ pastime, betting on it, or having an interest in it, is certainly not.
I don’t think this is a problem, providing racing is welcoming to all and sundry. I fail to see any evidence that it isn’t.
Mike
I think that avid racegoers of any colour make up a tiny minority. I’d be confident that the majority is made up of those who go on a day out to the races, as they would, perhaps, to a concert – maybe a couple of times a year.
Somewhere someone will have surveyed racegoers in depth, but there is always the ‘optional’ aspect when it comes to ethnicity box-ticking, so how accurate it would be, who knows.
As a slight aside, when searching for surveys I saw that on British Champions Day in 2012, a survey of racegoers had 82% citing their reason for attending in one word: Frankel. 26,000 were at Ascot that day, how robust the sample size of the survey was (not disclosed in the summary), I don’t know. With just a tinge of irony regarding this thread, Frankel’s groom was Sandeep Gauravaram, from Hyderabad.
Does it matter?
I was thinking the same thing the other day when I was watching a black spokesperson for a betting company discussing the market’s. But to answer your questions at the end
1. No it’s not an issue that needs addressing
2. No a concerted effort is not needed.
3. Not so much as a refuge from political correctness, more an issue for basic cop on.There are no barriers based on race to black people, white people, Asians, Africans, Americans etc from following horse racing, from getting involved as owners, trainers and jockeys. the fact that so few black people have an interesr in horse racing is exactly that … it’s a fact, and under no circumstances should an artificial diversity be encouraged. Of course it would be great to see people of every race colour and creed at race meetings, but lets not artificially create it, let it happen naturally and if it doesn’t then so what. Just my tuppence worth
Spot on
As a slight aside, when searching for surveys I saw that on British Champions Day in 2012, a survey of racegoers had 82% citing their reason for attending in one word: Frankel. 26,000 were at Ascot that day, how robust the sample size of the survey was (not disclosed in the summary), I don’t know.
As that implies that only 4680 would have turned up otherwise, it might be a slightly dubious survey anyway!
Mike
Going completely off at a tangent betlarge; your betting shop was possibly on the very site of my family home. They had a shop that was demolished to make way for the flyover. If so, I’m sure the ghost of my grandfather would have been thereabouts as I do blame him genetically for my obsession with racing.
If the make-up of the regulars at the betting shops I used to frequent in Birmingham and still frequent in Sheffield are any guide, there’s certainly a tangible interest in betting on the sport among those of Indian and Afro-Caribbean heritage.
What stops them converting that interest into actual racegoing is perhaps the issue.
Same case in Leeds, Bradford and all the West Riding towns, and you can add a healthy – or should that be unhealthy – population of Chinese regulars
I’ve no idea if a study’s been done but I’ve long thought that all betting shop habituees and regular racegoers are, if not mutually exclusive, then getting on that way: the former is the domain of those who primarily use racing as a betting medium with little interest in the sport for its own sake, whilst the latter is the domain of those who do enjoy the sport for its own sake and may also bet: and furthermore is for those who can afford to go racing
I’ve developed an interest in political betting but have no wish to attend political meetings, join a party, become an activist or spend an afternoon in the Commons’ Strangers’ Gallery
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.