Founded by Living The Dream Racing & Stables, a group of racing syndicates managed by Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels, the Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of African-Americans in the equine industry by identifying and supporting college students of color who have demonstrated the skills necessary to become successful professionals in a variety of different roles within the sport.

“Horse racing is a powerful economic engine that creates jobs and opportunities in every corner of New York State,” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO. “The Ed Brown Society is focused on ensuring those opportunities are shared equitably to increase diversity for the betterment of the sport. NYRA applauds the Ed Brown Society for what they have accomplished, and we look forward to anchoring this important work here in New York.”

NYRA will work with the Ed Brown Society to develop Ed Brown Scholars and Fellows who will qualify for paid internships at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. To support these opportunities, NYRA has made a significant  financial contribution to the Ed Brown Society.

“As a third-generation horseman, and one of the few African American professionals in the industry, I am very excited to begin this important work in New York,” said Ed Brown Society Chairman Greg Harbut. “NYRA is committed to our mission of expanding diversity, equity and inclusion in horse racing, which is exactly what this partnership will accomplish.”

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Alee is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Equine Science and Management and Elder is on schedule to graduate with honors, from Kentucky State University in May of 2023, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Campbell is a December 2022 graduate of the University of Kentucky, with a Master of Arts in History.

Plans and preparations are also underway for the inaugural Ed Brown Race Day at Keeneland, scheduled for Apr. 23.

The Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of African-Americans in the equine industry while creating opportunities for young people of color to gain industry exposure, training and experience, through academic scholarships, development programming and professional internships.

“We are very happy about the strides we are making in year one of our partnership with Keeneland,” said EBS President Ray Daniels. “Facilitating these opportunities for Jaida, Jordyn and Timothy will undoubtedly further their journeys toward successful career placements within their respective disciplines. We are also looking forward to an exciting Ed Brown Race Day that will allow our supporters to enjoy an incredible day at Keeneland–one of the most charming venues in all of Thoroughbred racing.”

Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin added, “We are excited to welcome Jordyn, Jaida and Timothy to the Keeneland team this spring. Keeneland and Ed Brown Society share a commitment to create diversity among our industry leaders, and we look forward to providing more opportunities for people from all backgrounds.”

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The multi-year commitment of $150,000 made by 1/ST will cover all costs associated with the paid internship program which will enable the Ed Brown Society to identify, recruit and place qualified minority students from both historically black colleges and universities and predominantly white institutions. Chosen interns will be compensated and will have all housing and travel expenses covered as part of the program. The Ed Brown Society will provide ongoing direction to the interns as they progress toward permanent professional placements.

The first two interns will begin their placement this spring at 1/ST RACING's Gulfstream Park. This collaborative internship program will offer African American students the opportunity to learn more about the Thoroughbred horse racing industry as they work alongside members of the experienced 1/ST team.

The program's first interns will be announced as part of the 2022 Pegasus World Cup Kick-Off Celebration taking place on Thursday at the Historic Ward Room House and Red Rooster in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami.

In addition to the internship program, 1/ST will collaborate with the Ed Brown Society to host “Ed Brown Race Days” across 1/ST RACING venues in California, Florida and Maryland to further support and promote diversity and inclusivity in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.

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Founded by Living the Dream Racing and Stables and led by respected industry connections Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels, the Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of African Americans in the equine industry and creates opportunities for young people of color to gain industry exposure, training and experience through internships and scholarships.

The multi-year commitment of $150,000 made by 1/ST will cover all costs associated with the paid internship program which will enable the Ed Brown Society to identify, recruit and place qualified minority students from both historically black colleges and universities and predominantly white institutions. Chosen interns will be compensated and will have all housing and travel expenses covered as part of the program. The Ed Brown Society will provide ongoing direction to the interns as they progress toward permanent professional placements.

The first two interns will begin their placement this spring at 1/ST Racing's Gulfstream Park. This collaborative internship program will offer African American students the opportunity to learn more about the Thoroughbred horse racing industry as they work alongside members of the experienced 1/ST team.

“1/ST is pleased to be the first industry partner of the Ed Brown Society. We are impressed with the commitment of the organization and Living the Dream Stables to racing as a whole and increasing diversity in particular. We are looking forward to working with Ray, Greg and the rest of their team in the years to come,” said Jason Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, 1/ST Content.

“As a third-generation horseman, and one of the few African American professionals in the industry, I am extremely excited about the work of the Ed Brown Society, and I am delighted that 1/ST has joined us to advance our mission,” said Ed Brown Society Chairman Greg Harbut, whose great-grandfather was the groom of world-renowned Thoroughbred Man O' War.

The introductions of the first interns and acknowledgement of the partnership between 1/ST and the Ed Brown Society will be made as part of the 2022 Pegasus World Cup Kick-Off Celebration taking place on Thursday, January 27th at the Historic Ward Room House and Red Rooster in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami featuring D-Nice, Darin Atwater and the Soulful Symphony.

In addition to the internship program, 1/ST will collaborate with the Ed Brown Society to host “Ed Brown Race Days” across 1/ST Racing venues in California, Florida and Maryland to further support and promote diversity and inclusivity in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing, including for the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In at Santa Anita.

The Ed Brown Society is named in honor of Edward Dudley Brown. Born into slavery in Lexington, Ky., Dudley Brown went on to become one of the most accomplished horsemen in the history of Thoroughbred horse racing. Founded by Living The Dream Racing and Stables, Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels also furthered the cause of minority participation in the industry through their respective ownership interests in the 2020 Kentucky Derby runner, Necker Island.

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“In the 1800s and early 1900s, the majority of jockeys were African Americans. But, despite their centuries of contributions, after World War I, African Americans were pushed out of the sport,” said Gov. Beshear. “I am proud to recognize the Ed Brown Society, an organization helping right this wrong by providing mentorship to the next generation of African American Kentuckians in the horseracing industry.”

The Ed Brown Society is named after Edward D. Brown, who was born into slavery in Lexington in 1850, but through his tenacity and love of the sport developed into one of the most accomplished African American horsemen in the history of Thoroughbred racing.

Brown was sold at age seven to a proprietor of the horse farm Woodburn Stud in Woodford County. Brown had a small boyhood stature, but gained a vast knowledge of horses, which afforded him the opportunity to become a jockey in his early teens.

At 14, Brown won his first race on a horse named Asteroid. A year later, Brown was emancipated. He continued to work at Woodburn Stud until the proprietor's death in 1867. Afterwards, Brown built his career as a top jockey and trainer until he saved enough money to establish his own racing stable, where he owned and trained a number of stakes winners.

Brown's most distinguished career highlights include two standout victories: He rode Kingfisher to win the fourth running of the Belmont Stakes in 1870, and led Baden-Baden as a trainer in 1877 to win the third running of the Kentucky Derby.

Brown's important role in thoroughbred racing was confirmed with his 1984 induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

The Ed Brown Society was recently established to celebrate the rich history of African Americans in the equine industry as well as to create opportunities for young African American Kentuckians.

“At the Ed Brown Society, in our past, we want to acknowledge and educate about the wonderful history of African Americans in horse racing in our great state,” said Ray Daniels, chief executive officer of Equity Solutions Group and president of the Ed Brown Society. “In the present day, we want to highlight the great jobs and opportunities in the equine industry. We've been successful in guiding 30 African Americans into horse ownership in the past few years. And the future for us is to educate young students to make these opportunities in the industry a reality.”

The society aims to increase diversity in thoroughbred racing and its support professions, helping more people pursue a career they are passionate about, and at the same time, helping the equine industry reach its full potential. For example, as of 2018, African Americans comprised 13.4% of the U.S. population, but made up only 1.7% of veterinary employment, a statistic the society wants to help improve.

Through partnerships with industry stakeholders and educational institutions, the Ed Brown Society has the opportunity to ensure the horseracing industry is well-positioned culturally and economically to create a stronger, more diverse pipeline of talent for the future.

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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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The series, titled “Truth to Power,” will bring together various participants within the racing realm to share their perspectives on racial, gender, and social inequality and how it impacts the sport as a whole. In addition to featuring industry stakeholders, the multi-part series will also seek out diversity experts from other sports to help illustrate why greater inclusion is crucial for any business seeking sustainable growth.

The first panel will take place Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. ET and is set to feature noted bloodstock agent Greg Harbut, a third-generation horseman, and his business partner, Lexington-based entrepreneur Ray Daniels, to discuss their experience as Black owners in racing and their non-profit the Ed Brown Society, which is working to create opportunities for people of color in the Thoroughbred industry through scholarships, internships, and apprenticeships.

The panel will be streamed on both The Racing Biz website (www.theracingbiz.com) and social media platforms @TheRacingBiz, as well as on the NTRA's Twitter account @NTRA.

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The series, titled “Truth to Power,” will bring together various participants within the racing realm to share their perspectives on racial, gender, and social inequality and how it impacts the sport as a whole. In addition to featuring industry stakeholders, the multi-part series will also seek out diversity experts from other sports to help illustrate why greater inclusion is crucial for any business seeking sustainable growth.

The first panel will take place on February 24 at 5 p.m. ET and is set to feature noted bloodstock agent Greg Harbut, a third-generation horseman, and his business partner, Lexington-based entrepreneur Ray Daniels, to discuss their experience as Black owners in the racing and their non-profit the Ed Brown Society, which is working to create opportunities for people of color in the Thoroughbred industry through scholarships, internships, and apprenticeships.

“As a biracial female working in the Thoroughbred industry, the issue of diversity – specifically the lack thereof in this sport – is a deeply personal one for me,” Hughes said. “I am hoping we can further enlighten aspiring allies while holding industry leaders accountable to have their practices match their statements denouncing systemic injustice.”

In addition to Harbut and Daniels, the panel will also feature an interview with Rose Grissell, head of Diversity and Inclusion for the British Horseracing Authority, which has had a Diversity in Racing Action plan in place since 2018.

“With each passing year, the United States becomes a more multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural society,” said Frank Vespe, owner and publisher of The Racing Biz. “The future of the Thoroughbred industry here will depend in no small part on its ability to adapt to that changing landscape and to speak to, and most importantly, listen to, people of all races and ethnicities.”

“The racing industry has been slow to become more inclusive and equitable,” Genaro said. “The sport could not survive without the labor of people of color, yet their voices are seldom part of the big conversations about its future. Increasing the participation of people of color and of women, on boards, in offices, and as customers, is an essential step in the industry's growth.”

The panel will be streamed on both The Racing Biz website (www.theracingbiz.com) and social media platforms @TheRacingBiz as well as on the NTRA's Twitter account @NTRA.

Tentative dates for future panels include March 17 and April 7, both at 5 p.m. ET.

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“I do agree that Black Lives Matter, and that there should be justice for Breonna Taylor,” Harbut told the Paulick Report last week.

Breonna Taylor's death at the hands of Louisville police back in March was one of the events that turned the city unto one of the country's hot spots for protesters seeking racial justice. Activists have urged Churchill officials to cancel the Kentucky Derby, but their pleas went unanswered as Churchill chose to go ahead with the event, albeit without fans in the stands. As such, several groups are planning protests on Kentucky Derby day: No Justice No Peace Louisville, Black Lives Matter Louisville, the Until Freedom group, and the NFAC, among others.

Those planned protests are getting national media attention as Derby Day draws ever-closer, from local and national news outlets, in the form of both news stories and editorials.

Harbut empathizes with the protesters, but he won't pass up a chance to stand in the grandstand to which his grandfather was unjustly denied access more than 50 years ago.

In 1962, Tom Harbut was the breeder and co-owner of Kentucky Derby contender Touch Bar, but his name didn't appear in the program and he wasn't allowed to watch the race from the grandstand; it was whites-only. (Touch Bar finished 11th that year)

“My grandfather bred the horse and owned part of him and, at the time, his role in what is one of the most prestigious races in the world was not acknowledged,” Harbut told the New York Times this week. “This is part of my family's legacy, and it is a chance to remind people on a big stage — the biggest stage — that horse racing history here begins with African-Americans.”

The Kentucky Derby has been run every year for the past 145 years. It is a great American tradition that has survived depressions, wars, pandemics and myriad changes in our country, large and small.

The first Derby was run just ten years after the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery in America. Over ninety years later, during the 1967 Derby, protesters took to the streets around Churchill Downs, demanding equality and change.

Today, more than fifty years after that, our fellow Kentuckians and fellow Americans are still asking to be heard; for all of us to understand the ongoing inequality that exists, and finally to adopt meaningful change.

We are not doing enough, quickly enough. That is true in our country, in our city and in our sport.

We know there are some who disagree with our decision to run the Kentucky Derby this year. We respect that point of view but made our decision in the belief that traditions can remind us of what binds us together as Americans, even as we seek to acknowledge and repair the terrible pain that rends us apart.

Our sport shares a disconcerting history that led to the exclusion of Black jockey participation through the years. The legacy of the Kentucky Derby begins with the incredible success of Black jockeys. We feel it is imperative to acknowledge the painful truths that led to their exclusion. Churchill Downs strongly believes in preserving and sharing the stories of the Black jockeys who are a critical part of this tradition. This is not a new commitment, but we continue to seek ways to share these stories and honor these athletes.

Our goal has always been that the Kentucky Derby and the way it is observed throughout the city should be inclusive of the entire Louisville community. However, we hear the calls to do more and we have challenged ourselves to do so. We hear the voices that tell us we have not successfully created an environment in which everyone feels welcome or included. That is not acceptable and we need to do more to ensure that our best intentions become a reality. We need to do more, now, to ensure that every member of our community is a part of our traditions. Churchill Downs is committed to engaging in the hard conversations in our city, our sport and within our own organization. We are committed to taking real, concrete action to address institutional roadblocks to progress and playing our part in advancing the changes America so desperately needs.

We recognize that people in our community and across our nation are hurting right now. The atmosphere of the Kentucky Derby will be different this year as we respond to those calls for change. This will be a Derby unlike any other. As it should be.

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