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Legacy Equine Academy Exposes New Generation to Racing

Growing up near Third Street in Lexington, Ron Mack spent much of his childhood playing football with friends on what was once the infield of the Kentucky Association racetrack, but he didn't realize that they were throwing a football on hallowed ground until years later. After playing football for the University of Kentucky and then building a career in commercial banking in Atlanta, Mack returned to Lexington in 2014 and began digging into the history of horse racing and the Kentucky Association.

What Mack learned through his research led to him founding Legacy Equine Academy (LEA)–an organization dedicated to bridging the contributions African America horsemen have made to racing throughout history to the future of the industry by introducing middle and high school students from a diverse background to the sport. Launched in 2016, the non-profit has partnered with the Fayette County public school system to introduce students to career opportunities in equine and agricultural industries and provide a pipeline for higher education and future job opportunities.

“I created the Legacy brand because we want to develop a legacy as far as our mission is concerned to pay homage to the legacy of the Black jockeys and horsemen who have been so instrumental to forming today's standards in the Thoroughbred industry,” Mack explained. “There's no shortage of books in the library, but I learned that people don't really know the history. Through that process, I founded the Legacy Equine Academy.”

LEA organizes field trips aimed to expose their students to various aspects of the equine industry. The group regularly hosts trips to the Kentucky Horse Park and the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs, often with 50 to 100 students in attendance. They have also taken students to Keeneland during the September Yearling Sale and to various breeding farms in Lexington including Taylor Made Farm. LEA has partnered with Spy Coast Farm, which specialized in breeding and development of performance horses, for the use of their breeding, development and education center for hands-on activities and career training.

One of the organization's main focuses is to make sure students have the opportunity to meet individuals from all aspects of the industry, from bloodstock agents and veterinarians to farm managers and racetrack officials. Mack said that one of the most important aspects of their outings is when students network with these industry professionals and get the chance to visualize themselves in a similar career one day.

“We have in-class sessions with the kids to give professionals in the industry an opportunity to talk about their career and what their career path has been,” he said. “The kids absolutely love it. You're exposing a new audience to the equine agriculture community and their questions are great. They're coming from a perspective of where they just don't know. The enthusiasm around our activities and our tours is just so rewarding to see that you're really changing a mindset when they realize those opportunities are out there.”

In the early days of the academy, trips were held during school hours, but during COVID they began running after-hour and weekend activities. This proved to be beneficial when it increased parent involvement and participation.

LEA provides scholarship opportunities for their students through the Legacy Foundation and also coordinates apprenticeship positions for students interested in certain aspects of the industry. Mack proudly shared the story of one student who joined LEA in the seventh grade. She soon became interested in agriculture and, with the help of a scholarship from the Legacy Foundation, is now majoring in Agricultural Science at Western Kentucky University.

Mack is quick to point out that LEA is only possible with the help of industry organizations. He named Keeneland, the Kentucky Horse Park and Spy Coast Farm as a few of their biggest supporters.

“We've had a great deal of support from the equine community and the corporate community,” he explained. “Part of our pipeline is developing and leveraging those relationships and resources. Through that, we're able to have the kids travel and get hands-on activities to expose them to all things equine. We are very proud of the alliances that we have created here over the last several years to grow what we do.”

LEA activities are also made possible through their annual Legacy Ball, a high-end charity event featuring food, live music and bourbon. Proceeds from the event benefit LEA and the many scholarships that the Legacy organization puts together every year.

Mack explained that the idea for the Legacy Ball actually developed before Legacy Equine Academy came about. When he was first learning about the history of racing, he came up with the idea of the Legacy Ball in hopes of educating the community about the historical accomplishments of African American horsemen. He organized a meeting with Claiborne's Seth Hancock to pitch his idea.

“I will never forget Seth's response,” Mack recalled. “Seth said they would support the Legacy Ball and that he thought it was a great idea, but he wanted to talk more about the industry at large as far as the racial makeup of the industry. After that conversation is when I created the Legacy Equine Academy because there was an opportunity to better educate young people and give them exposure and access to the professional opportunities in the industry.”

While the Legacy Ball could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, it will return for it's fourth year on Saturday, April 30 at Fasig-Tipton. The event will be hosted by University of Kentucky basketball legend Jack Givens.

“We're offering the public an opportunity to help us support the mission that we're on to educate our young people,” Mack said. “This is our main fundraising mechanism to grow and get more resource for what we do. We want to have a very diversified group of folks come out and enjoy the event–whether they're industry folks, politicians or educators.”

As LEA continues to grow, they are working to broaden their reach geographically by expanding into Scott County outside of Lexington and into the Louisville area.

“This is where the corporate industry and the Thoroughbred industry can hop on board with us and support us, and we have already received a great deal of support from many organizations in the industry,” Mack said. “With the growth of what we do, we continue to need transportation for the organization and we continue to need funding to offer a broader, bigger footprint.”

To learn more about the Legacy Ball and Legacy Equine Academy, click here.

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Letter to the Editor: Jason Wilson

I am writing with respect to the September 22, 2021 article New Face in the Keeneland Sales Ring. The article invoked the same feelings that I had the first time I went to one of the sales. In the days leading up to this first foray, my colleagues talked up the sales and the good times that they had watching horses sell for more than seven figures and attending the ancillary events that were part of the experience. I went into the arena on that day with high expectations, but immediately felt that something was not right. It took me awhile to figure it out and then it hit me–all of the humans in the auction ring were black and all of the auctioneers and attendees were white. I did not stay long.

I understand this is a complicated issue. On the one hand, I congratulate Ms. Hobgood on her new role at Keeneland. It is always good to see people in places where they have historically been denied roles. On the other hand, it is incredible that Keeneland has traditionally had a team of African American men as ringmen. Horse racing fosters interaction between people from all types of backgrounds, but it is remarkable how segregated the jobs are. It would seem by design that certain roles go to people from certain backgrounds. Now that the ringmen (and women) are no longer exclusively African American, I hope that African Americans gain opportunities in other roles at the sales company.

I am looking forward to the day when hiring decisions such as these are not newsworthy. To that end, I've been working with the Ed Brown Society to help develop connections between racing organizations and African American communities to foster more diversity in the sport. It is my sincere belief (based on research from leading workforce experts such as McKinsey & Co.) that the sport will not be able to grow without an intentional approach to attracting a more diverse fan base and workforce. It is also incumbent upon us to provide environments where people are comfortable and foster advancement for people from different backgrounds.

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Levey Looks For First Royal Victory

Sean Levey has already set several notable benchmarks in British racing–being the first black jockey to ride in the Derby in 2016 when fifth on Humphrey Bogart (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) and, two years later, the first black jockey to win a British Classic when steering Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) to victory in the G1 1000 Guineas-and next week Levey hopes to earn a belated first Royal Ascot victory.

The 33-year-old Swaziland-born rider, who will partner the likes of Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) for Richard Hannon at the Royal meeting, said, “My form at Ascot alone is very good–but when it comes to Royal Ascot, not so much. I wouldn't say I've been unfortunate. I've been placed many a time, mostly in handicaps and what have you. I'm disappointed it hasn't happened yet, so I would just like the box ticked now. It's a bit of a monkey on my back, that one.”

Levey certainly has the right foundation to take his career to the next level. His family left Africa when Levey was a teenager and, after touching down briefly in Croydon in South London, relocated to Ireland to allow his father, Mick Levey, to work for Aidan O'Brien. The younger Levey took up working at Ballydoyle on the weekends, and after a season of pony racing signed on as an apprentice to O'Brien.

“I won a few listed races and group races for Aidan and had the opportunity to ride, I think, in every Classic in Ireland. I rode in the Arc for him and a few other Group 1s, including the German Guineas, and I won the Irish Cambridgeshire on a horse called Poet. It was a privileged apprenticeship. There's no doubt he gave me a lot of opportunities, and I'll be forever grateful.”

After six years with O'Brien, Levey relocated to Britain in 2011 to take the next step in his career.

“I'd had massive opportunities as an apprentice and was wanting momentum over here. I was chasing my dream,” he said.

Levey admitted that as a younger rider, “thinking about the colour of my skin wasn't at the forefront of my mind,” and he said he thinks it is a lack of information rather than systemic racism in racing that has deterred more people of colour from entering the sport.

“What I am seeing, and should be seeing, is a lot more black and Asian people coming into racing,” he said. “In Ireland there was only me; in England there is me and Royston [Ffrench] and Silvestre de Sousa, obviously. Now the next crop of apprentices are coming in, and I do see a lot more. If what we have done is give others the confidence, I think that is ultimately what everyone is looking for. [We want] to reach out to those urban areas where people don't get the opportunities and show that the sport is open to anybody who would like to come into it. Rather than dwelling on 'racing needs to change because it's racist', I personally don't feel that that's the case, but I do feel like more information needs to be put out there for people to know that they are more than welcome through those doors.”

In the meantime, Levey is looking forward to partnering, among others, Snow Lantern in the G1 Coronation S. and Happy Romance in the G1 Commonwealth Cup next week.

Of Snow Lantern, a 'TDN Rising Star' who could only manage third in the Listed Michael Seely Memorial S. at York on May 14, Levey said, “She's in good order and all set to go. It was a slightly disappointing run at York–things didn't really go our way. She was keener than you'd like on that occasion and as a result, she didn't quite run as well as we thought she would. She seems to be doing the right things at home and hasn't put a foot wrong since. I'd like to think that if she runs her race nice and settles then she'll have a big chance.”

Happy Romance backed up a busy and fruitful 2-year-old campaign with a win in the Listed Chelmer Fillies' S. at Chelmsford on Apr. 29, and looks to rebound from a fifth-place finish in the Listed Carnarvon S. on May 15.

“Happy Romance is one that does all the talking on the track,” Levey said. “She's very straightforward, an absolute pleasure to ride and has plenty of ability to boot. I think Ascot is her track–she ran really well in the Queen Mary last year. She's shown she wants better ground, and a stiff track will suit her style of running. She's more an off-the-bridle kind of sprinter, rather than an 'all guns blazing' kind of sprinter. Against her own age group, I would give her a good chance.”

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Riding A Dream Academy Launched To Support Riders From Under-Represented Communities

A new Academy to support talented riders from under-represented communities to get into racing has been launched. The Riding A Dream Academy, named after the documentary that followed Khadijah Mellah on her journey to becoming the first British Muslim woman to win a UK horse race, will welcome its first cohort this summer.

Kindly funded by the Racing Foundation, the Academy has been independently developed by ITV Racing's Oli Bell and Great British Racing's Head of PR, Naomi Lawson. In its pilot year it will run two programs for those aged 14-18 – The Khadijah Mellah Scholarship and a residential week, both delivered by the British Racing School in Newmarket.

The Jockey Club, which stages many of British Racing's biggest events including The Festival at Cheltenham, the Randox Grand National at Aintree and The Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs will also kindly fund one Scholarship place for a rider from St James City Farm in Gloucester, a club that they have supported now over a number of years.

Khadijah Mellah, who made history when winning the Magnolia Cup in 2019 and who learned to ride at Ebony Horse Club in Brixton said: “Racing changed my life forever and I hope that by getting involved in the Riding A Dream Academy it will change other young people's lives too. If you come from my background it can be difficult to imagine yourself in racing so I hope the Academy will give other young people the confidence that racing is a sport that you can get involved in, where you will be supported and where you can achieve your dreams and anything you set your mind to.”

Oli Bell, ITV Racing presenter who has helped to develop the Academy said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Racing Foundation for funding The Riding A Dream Academy which will enable lots of young people who wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity to experience the thrill of horse racing. It will hopefully provide a legacy to Khadijah's achievements when she showed that the impossible can be possible and it is something that I am hugely proud to be a part of. I look forward to meeting the racing stars of the future who will be a part of this terrific new initiative.”

Susannah Gill, Trustee of the Racing Foundation and Chair of the Diversity in Racing Steering Group, said: “British racing is a wonderful sport and all of us involved in it must work together to ensure future generations feel they can have the opportunity to be part of it. The Riding a Dream Academy is a fantastic example of the positive action needed to ensure British racing is a diverse and inclusive sport in which everyone has the opportunity to achieve their potential and where people from all communities feel welcome. The Racing Foundation is very pleased to offer its support from the outset and huge credit must go to Oli Bell, Naomi Lawson, the British Racing School and everyone involved in making the Riding a Dream Academy a reality.”

Naomi Howgate, General Manager of Ebony Horse Club in Brixton where Khadijah learned to ride welcomed the initiative saying: “It's brilliant that The Riding A Dream Academy has been developed as part of Khadijah's legacy. Having role models that you relate to is so important and it is great that the young people at Ebony and other urban equestrian centres who have been inspired by Khadijah's achievements will also have the opportunity to explore the world of horse racing through the Academy's two programmes.”

The Khadijah Mellah Scholarship is a year-long program for talented riders aged 14-18 from underrepresented communities which, in its first year, will welcome eight riders, with applications now open via www.ridingadreamacademy.com (closing date June 14). The Scholarship will see the students spend a week at the British Racing School to hone their riding skills, followed by 11 monthly weekend sessions at the school where they will be paired with a mentor, have the chance to gain work experience at a top racehorse trainer's yard, participate in further pony races and gain a 1st4Sport Level 1 qualification in the horseracing industry. Its sister program, the Residential Week, will act as an introduction to the racing industry for less experienced riders and is likewise aimed at those from underrepresented groups and communities.

Both programs will be delivered by the British Racing School in Newmarket.

Andrew Braithwaite, Finance Director who has been instrumental in the Academy's development, said: “Creating the Riding A Dream Academy is a fantastic idea and links in really well with other opportunities in the sport. The British Racing School is delighted to be involved in the Academy which will help to open up racing. It will provide a really important missing link to help young people from diverse backgrounds get more involved and mean that we are tapping into the full spectrum of talent out there.”

Khadijah's success in the Magnolia Cup came aboard Haverland, trained by Charlie Fellowes who will be one of the trainers to provide work experience to those on the Scholarship program.

He said: “Lots of trainers will be more than open to supporting this brilliant initiative. Khadijah's story and success was so powerful and creating a lasting legacy that helps other young people from underrepresented backgrounds get into racing is something that we all see the value in. My team and I can't wait to get involved.”

You can find out more about The Riding A Dream Academy at www.ridingadreamacademy.com / info@ridingadreamacademy.com.

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