Rishi Persad | Horse Racing Free Tips

Rishi Persad Joins Racing Foundation’s Board Of Trustees

Rishi Persad has been appointed to the Racing Foundation Board of Trustees.

A racing broadcaster and member of the ITV Racing and Racing TVG teams, Persad joins the recently appointed Jim Boyle, Linda Bowles, Susannah Gill, Louise Kemble, Alice Page and Algy Smith-Maxwell on the Racing Foundation's Board of Trustees, which is chaired by Julia Budd.

Budd said, “I'm so pleased Rishi will be joining us on the Foundation's Board of Trustees. With a broadcasting career spanning over two decades, his experience both within racing and of the wider sporting landscape will bring a broad and unique perspective to the Board.”

Rob Hezel, Chief Executive of the Racing Foundation, said, “I'm very much looking forward to working with Rishi as the newest Trustee to join the Racing Foundation's Board. Rishi's passion for improving the sport of racing is evident. I know he will provide great insight and value to the Foundation's talented Board of Trustees.”

Persad added, “I am honoured to join The Racing Foundation, a foundation whose principal purpose is to make a positive difference within the industry. Racing has been good to me since I first fell in love with it as a child and I am always keen to give back in any way I can. The Racing Foundation offers me the opportunity to serve the sport to the benefit of both horses and humans.”

The post Rishi Persad Joins Racing Foundation’s Board Of Trustees appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

British Broadcaster Calls For More Diversity In Racing, Experiences Pushback From The Industry

As discussions about diversity in sport continue to grow, the Racing Post reports that British broadcaster Rishi Persad has found himself the target of criticism for encouraging racing to do more. Persad gave an interview to friend and fellow broadcaster Josh Apiafi on Sky Sports Racing where he suggested diversity in British racing could be improved.

Persad, who came to England as a teenager from Trinidad, recounted experiences both positive and less positive from his time in racing. He told the Racing Post he felt his interview on Sky Sports wasn't particularly controversial, nor was it intended to be so. Persad is a member of the Diversity in Racing Steering Group, which was formed in 2017. In the Sky Sports interview, Persad characterized racing as “behind the times,” pointing out that while the majority of stable staff in Britain are people of color, “99.9 percent of trainers” are white.

Persad told the Post this week he subsequently experienced pushback from people in the racing industry who seemed to misunderstand his point.

“What I was really trying to say was, if we eliminate all discrimination and make the sport more accessible, we're going to provide two things,” he said. “The moral case is for our own wellbeing, in that we can all benefit from being kinder to each other, and the business case is pretty obvious – the more people we can attract to the sport the more money we can bring into the sport and the more people in the sport will benefit from it. What's bad about that?”

He also emphasized that his interest is not only in improving racial equality in the sport, but also discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation.

Tripartite Group Releases Statement On Diversity

The British Horseracing Authority, The Horsemen’s Group and the Racecourse Association released a joint statement on Friday concerning diversity in racing. The statement comes on the heels of television presenter Rishi Persad receiving negative feedback for speaking out against racism in recent days, responses the groups say they condemn. The BHA invited Persad to join its scheduled meeting on Wednesday to share his views on racing’s approach to diversity.

The joint statement read, “Racing prides itself on the welcome it gives to all. We want to engage fans from all communities and we want talented people, whatever their background, to be able to succeed in our sport. However, our industry’s leaders acknowledge that pockets of discrimination exist in all areas of society, and our sport is no different. All are agreed that this has no place in our industry and that the sport must unite in standing against discrimination of any kind in racing. We can, and will, do better on this front.

“We pride ourselves on the respect we show for our horses and for the sport’s rules and traditions. We are a sport which has embraced diversity in many ways, including people of all genders competing on equal terms. We must welcome constructive debate on any issue, but we expect all those in our sport to show respect to each other when competing and when discussing our sport and its future.”

The post Tripartite Group Releases Statement On Diversity appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post