Diversity in Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Churchill Downs Inc. Names Katherine Armstrong VP Of Culture

Churchill Downs Incorporated announced on Thursday that Katherine Armstrong has been hired as the company's vice president of culture (diversity, equity and inclusion) . The new role will report directly to Bill Carstanjen, chief executive officer of CDI.

As the vice president of culture, Armstrong will be part of the senior leadership team of CDI and will lead the company's efforts to expand its strategic vision as part of the core mission and values to systemically advance a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Armstrong will develop and drive diversity initiatives and create opportunities to share best practices across the business segments.

“Katherine brings a deep understanding of advancing company culture and diversity, equity and inclusion to this role,” said Carstanjen. “She is an experienced, proactive and strategic advocate, partner and leader, who has developed constructive relationships and supported strong cultural initiatives in her previous roles.”

Prior to this role, Armstrong was the founder and president of Success Track LLC, a strategic advisory and training group with an emphasis on culture transformation, DE&I strategy, HR analytics and leadership coaching. She also served in several significant roles with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., Hyatt Hotels Corporation, PNC Financial and Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, Miss.

“I am honored and excited to lead the advancement of the culture at CDI,” said Armstrong. “This is a pivotal time in the company's growth and I am humbled to be part of the senior leadership team that will work together to shape the diversity, equity and inclusion of this great organization in the future.”

Armstrong holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Jackson State University.

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Second Episode Of ‘Truth To Power’ Series Provides Action Points For Those Who Care About Racing Diversity

The second installment of The Racing Biz panel series titled 'Truth To Power' aired Wednesday with a focus on practical suggestions for those in the racing community to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. The panel series aims to define and address the issues racing faces with diversity among its workforce and fan base.

See a recap of the first installment and watch a replay here.

The second panel included expertise from Renee Hess, founder and executive director of Black Girl Hockey Club, Ron Mack, founder of the Legacy Equine Academy, and Leon Nichols, CEO and founder of the Project to Preserve African American Turf History. The panel was moderated by The Racing Biz founder Frank Vespe, freelance journalist Teresa Genaro, and NTRA Director of Communications Alicia Hughes.

A few key takeaways from the discussion, with a full replay below:

Panelists believe the rich history of standout Black jockeys from the early days of American racing like Jimmy Winkfield and Isaac Murphy provides a great basis for bringing Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) back to the sport.
“Ironically, Thoroughbred racing can really be called the first sport to demonstrate equity and inclusion,” said Mack. “The jockeys I mentioned earlier were not only jockeys, but they were trainers, they were owners. They held power and influence in the culture of Thoroughbred racing, even in the late 1800s. As we honor and celebrate the glory of the past, at the Legacy Equine Academy we're training and cultivating our kids for the future of the sport.”
Hess's model with Black Girl Hockey Club was really to provide a sense of community to the comparatively few Black fans and participants in ice hockey, though she points out you don't have to be either Black or female to join — you just have to support the mission of including more diverse participation in the sport. Originally, the club began as a fan club and has grown to become a nonprofit that provides scholarships to girls who play in travel teams around the world. Not only is that helping diversify the sport's players, it's bringing fandom to people outside the United States who may not have become familiar with ice hockey otherwise.
The first step in improving diversity and inclusion, Hess said, is to talk about it. Businesses and organizations within an industry will prioritize something if they believe their consumers value it.
“Once we utilize our voices and let these organizations know that this is something the masses want to see, I think we'll be able to make these changes and drag these industries kicking and screaming because it is a financially sound decision,” she said. “Because this is the direction other sports are moving into. Our sports need to do the same if they want to remain relevant. We talk about 'growing the game' in hockey, and what better way to grow the game than to include the Black community, the LGBTQ community?”
Nichols hopes that his project can also grow racing by showing a new community of people that they have heroes in the sport, too. He is part of a group workshopping a screenplay based around part of Isaac Murphy's career, specifically about the famous match race in which he piloted Salvatore against Tenny, which was one of the greatest rivalries in American sports at the time.
“Reading Isaac's story, one thing you'll learn about him is … he was so inspired to set an example as an African American male in the 19th Century that it drove him to try and rove his equalness and Black excellence,” said Nichols. “Out of that came the match of the century.”
Mack is hoping to continue building a pipeline from school to racing industry jobs through the Legacy Equine Academy, but said he's not just preparing the students to be grooms or hotwalkers — he's encouraging them and preparing them to become racehorse owners and corporate executives. Not only should it be possible for those students, it should be desirable for racing to see better representation at the higher levels of administration.
If diversity is important to you but you don't sit at the top of the totem pole in your workplace, Hess said you probably have some influence you can use to prioritize equity. Do you hire interns? Consider looking for them at historically black colleges in addition to the programs you already correspond with. Do you manage your company's newsletter content? There's a chance to acknowledge achievement or history of the company or industry through the work of diverse trailblazers. Another thing she encourages: Keep having conversations about these topics — even though they're probably going to make you uncomfortable sometimes.
“I do think that when you are a non-Black, non BIPOC person, talking about race can be a little bit uncomfortable,” said Hess, who launched a campaign called Get Uncomfortable to encourage these dialogues. “I'm not 100% on that because I'm Black, but I get the gist that could be the feeling. But it's all about having these uncomfortable conversations … Change is uncomfortable.”

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Diversity In Racing: Panel Examines How The Sport Is Doing, Where It Can Improve

As discussions about improving diversity and inclusion continue in a range of sports and businesses, The Racing Biz debuted its first in a series of panels last week addressing the subject in horse racing. The 'Truth to Power' series is a cooperative effort between the trade publication and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

The first panel was anchored by The Racing Biz owner/publisher Frank Vespe and featured writer Teresa Genaro, NTRA director of communications Alicia Hughes, owner Ray Daniels and horseman/bloodstock agent Greg Harbut. It also featured clips from a pre-recorded conversation between Vespe and Rose Grissell, head of diversity and Inclusion for the British Horseracing Authority, about strategies to improve diversity across the pond.

Catch a full replay of the panel discussion here. A few key takeaways:

Many point to the number of female or non-white exercise riders, jockeys, and assistant trainers working in racing as evidence that the sport doesn't have a problem with diversity and inclusion. That doesn't really hold up, panelists say, because senior management and boards of companies, racing commissions, and other groups are still almost entirely made up of white men, with limited exceptions. Hughes pointed out that at the time of the panel, there had been eight public announcements about hiring or promotion of upper-level staff at racetracks since Nov. 30. All eight were white men. No doubt, Hughes said, they were well qualified for their roles, but that doesn't do much for those companies' assertion that they prioritize diversity and inclusion.
Often, this homogeneity is explained as institutions simply “hiring the best person for the job.”“That is either ignorant or just deliberately obtuse because it suggests from the get-go that the most qualified person for the job is a white man,” said Genaro.
“When you talk about embracing diversity and your practices don't line up with it, it makes me question – what are your hiring practices?” echoed Hughes. “Where are you advertising these jobs? Are you advertising these jobs? How many people were interviewed? How many people from diverse backgrounds were interviewed? How many people of color were interviewed? I have a hard time, both in my lived experience and my research, finding tangible evidence that these organizations are backing up their statements with action.”
By contrast, Grissell said British sports organizations funded by the government are required to have at least 30 percent female participation on their boards.
Prioritizing diversity at the upper levels of an organization or business does a few things. It attempts to level the playing field to make sure traditionally underrepresented groups are getting a fair shot at advancement. It signals to women and minorities that they are valued by that business. It also helps the business improve its internal and external communications to be more appealing to a broader range of people.Harbut pointed out that that public relations aspect is important, because racing needs all the help it can get to grow right now. If nothing else, reaching out to new demographics is just good business.
“It's no secret the industry is struggling right now to attract new fans … you don't see the younger generation embrace racing the way they do in Lexington,” said Harbut.
Passively allowing people of all backgrounds to attend racing doesn't mean they're going to feel comfortable or interested in doing so.“We're simply not engaging with certain groups of the population in the UK, whether that's through perception or the reality of barriers,” said Grissell. “Our marketing and media presents racing in a certain way which could potentially be seen as exclusive to some. I think we can't be naïve or even arrogant enough to think just because we've opened the doors, people are going to walk in. We have to show them why racing is a sport for them.”
Hughes pointed out the struggles and triumphs of NASCAR as an example to horse racing. NASCAR had similar issues to horse racing with declining ratings and a homogenous fan base. When the sport banned the Confederate flag at its tracks and supported a driver who was initially thought to be the target of a racially-motivated hate crime, Hughes said the organization lost a few fans – but it gained many more. Its actions also generated national attention that led high profile personalities like Michael Jordan and Pitbull to begin investing as owners.
If you're watching the diversity and inclusion conversation with interest and thinking about improving policies in your company, panelists urge you – hire a professional diversity training service to help you. Too often, the burden of organizing new programs in this subject area falls to a junior member of staff because they are female or BIPOC and assumed to be subject matter experts. The problem with that is that building new company policy, marketing, staff training, etc., quickly becomes a time-consuming unpaid task for that staff member.

See the full panel replay here.

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‘Toxic Words And Divisive Behavior’: Guillot Banned Over Horse Name, Social Media Posts

Respect for All.

That's the new name given to an Uncle Mo gelding owner Lawrence Roman claimed for $25,000 out of Friday's first race at Aqueduct racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Bred by Southern Equine Stables LLC, the 3-year-old won the race, his debut, under the name Grape Soda, for owner Cypress Creek Equine and trainer Eric Guillot.

Following the race, an outcry ensued on social media that referenced an earlier Tweet from Guillot showing he gave the horse its original name – which can be interpreted as an offensive racial stereotype – in “honor” of a TVG analyst he has since admitted to be Ken Rudulph, who is Black. The Tweet included a emoji of a Black fist.

Guillot falsely claimed on Twitter after the race he named the horse “after my favorite drink when I was a little boy.”

By then, Rudulph had already called Guillot out on Twitter, saying: “The winner in race #1 from Aqueduct is the perfect example of my issue with horse racing. The winning trainer is a disgusting and racist man. But, if you want to make money in this game you have to be able to ignore that stuff. I can't do it. But y'all carry on with your $11.”

Guillot has posted bigoted or racially tinged comments in the past, including a Tweet in August 2020 saying he had given another horse the name “Uncle Ken's Cabin,” an obvious reference to the Harriet Beecher Stowe novel about slavery. When asked, Guillot said he didn't recall the Tweet.

On Saturday morning, The Jockey Club issued the following statement: “The Jockey Club was notified yesterday that the name Grape Soda, which was approved for a 2018 gelding, was potentially offensive. Upon review we have confirmed that the name is ineligible under Rule 6.F.11. of the Principal Rules and Requirements of The American Stud Book, and we have begun the name change process in consultation with the current owner, which must be completed as soon as possible.”

By early afternoon, the horse's new owner, Roman, told Daily Racing Form's David Grening that the name Respect for All had been approved by The Jockey Club and that he will donate 10% of the gelding's future earnings to the Backstretch Employee Service Team at New York Racing Association tracks. Within hours, the name change was reflected at Equibase, the industry's official database.

But the ripple effects had just begun.

David O'Rourke, president and CEO of the New York Racing Association, issued the following statement: “Racism is completely unacceptable in all forms. NYRA rejects Eric Guillot's toxic words and divisive behavior in the strongest terms. At this time, he will no longer be permitted to enter horses at any NYRA track nor will he be allocated stalls on NYRA grounds. In addition, we will review what further steps may be available to us. Our racing community is diverse, and we stand for inclusion.”

Rudulph's employer, TVG, took its Guillot ban one step further, saying it would not televise any races in which Guillot is participating.

“TVG commends NYRA for taking swift action on the matter involving Eric Guillot,” a company statement said. “There is simply no place in society for racism and we condemn his behavior, a deliberate attempt to slur one of our employees, in the strongest terms. Our network will no longer air races in which he has an entry. We also commend the action by new owner Larry Roman to change the horse's name. We will continue to work toward making racing more inclusive and to attracting a new generation of fans to the sport.”

The Stronach Group and 1/ST Racing chief operating officer Aidan Butler also said Guillot would not be welcome at the company's tracks in California, Maryland or Florida.

“1/ST Racing stands firmly against the inexcusable actions of trainer Eric Guillot,” Butler said. “There is no place in the sport of Thoroughbred racing for racism in any form. Our company will not tolerate the use of hateful and divisive language or behavior.

“1/ST Racing agrees fully with the New York Racing Association's move to ban Mr. Guillot from racing and will take the same action,” added Butler. “Mr. Guillot is no longer welcomed at any 1/ST RACING track.”

Guillot, who only started nine runners in 2020 and 19 the year before that, posted a video on Twitter on Saturday saying that he has now retired from training. Licensed since, 1991, Guillot has won 259 races from 2,348 starts. He's won 19 graded stakes, the most recent coming in 2016 with Laoban in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga.

When reached by the Paulick Report, Guillot said the entire matter has been overblown, stating nothing would have happened if the horse had finished second in Friday's race.

“I didn't do anything wrong,” said Guillot, who insisted that he is not racist.

When asked why he gave the horse that specific name and said it was “in honor” of TVG's Rudulph, Guillot said, “I was just teasing him. It wasn't meant in a harmful way.

“I did nothing wrong but be a common comedian, and my skin's a little too light to be joking about grape sodas, that's all,” Guillot said. “If Chris Rock or David Chappelle had said it, it would be OK.”

Guillot went on to blame Rudulph for starting a feud with him, calling him “pompous” and the “most privileged Black person I know. … He plays the 180-degree Black Lives Matter racist card and is as condescending as you get. It has nothing to do with me being racist. This is what he wanted; I just fueled the fire is what I did.”

Rudulph declined to comment.

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