Why is Horseracing travel overlooked?
Words - Dr. Paull KhanIn this issue, we pay homage to the pleasures of racing-based travel and shine a light on the potential that exists to harness and amplify the often neglected appeal of racing tourism.
Many readers of this magazine will vouch for the fact that attending race meetings around the world is one of the most exhilarating and culturally rich travel experiences available today. Certainly, the EMHF has afforded its members the opportunity to take in some fabulous trips to experience racing in wonderfully diverse, characterful and beautiful places across our region - as I hope this article will amply demonstrate. However, despite all this, racing seems to have 'fallen between the cracks' when it comes to tourism.
If one looks to equestrian tourism, there is a specialist European Federation dedicated to its promotion – the Fédération Internationale de Tourisme Équestre. FITE is a fellow member of the European Horse Network, alongside the EMHF, and does a sterling job, but racing does not figure in its work.
FITE concentrates on horseback riding holidays (treks, trail-rides, horse safaris, etc.). And, while it also promotes travel to attend sporting events, those events comprise disciplines like dressage, show jumping and eventing (reflecting its close association with the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale)). Racing does not get a look in.
OK. So if we don't fit in there, what about sport tourism? Here again, there are active organisations banging the drum for this. United Nations Tourism actively supports sport tourism as a key sector of sustainable travel.
Additionally, the International Sports Travel Agencies Association (ISTAA) represents specialised agencies in the sports travel industry. Both organisations cover a broad spectrum of sport tourism, including travel for events like the Olympics, marathons, football matches, and adventure sports. But horseracing, despite its heritage and spectacle, is absent from these conversations. Which begs the question: why has racing been overlooked? Perhaps it is partly to do with ethical concerns around animal welfare and the use of animals in sport. Perhaps it is because journeying to watch the races tends to be associated in people's minds with luxury leisure travel (rather than an activity for the masses). It could be said to be in part because our sport lacks the global participation model of, say, football or athletics. But then the same could be said about motor racing, and that hasn't stopped UN Tourism forming an association on sustainable sports tourism with the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile).
This omission of racing is not just puzzling it's a missed opportunity. Horseracing travel deserves recognition as a legitimate, vibrant, culturally significant form of tourism.
So what can racing do to join the party?
I suggest, quite a lot. First, we need to be upbeat and unapologetic about the unique appeal and characteristics of our sport, as well as its scale and diversity. Racecourses are often set in breathtaking landscapes, steeped in local heritage, and deeply woven into the social fabric of their communities. Racing tourism is not simply about betting or sport; it is about tradition, identity and shared celebration. And when well-publicised, it brings prosperity to the regions that host it.
This column will return to the theme in the future. For now, you are invited to consider planning your future leisure breaks around one or more of the following racecourses, in all of which racing and travel intertwine, and which have proved spectacular venues at which to host EMHF events. Remember - these are but a handful: beautiful racecourses in interesting places abound across our region for inspiration, check out www.euromedracing.eu and click on an EMHF member country for a map of its racetracks.
► VELIEFENDI for ISTANBUL
VELIEFENDI by night
Istanbul has earned a reputation as one of the most exhilarating cities in the world. Its harbour, the Golden Horn, is right up there in terms of beauty - Europe's riposte to San Francisco, Sydney or Hong Kong - and is the world's largest natural harbour, to boot.
Veliefendi is not just a racecourse; it's Istanbul catching its breath. In the bustle of Bakırköy, on the City's European side, the track opens like a green lung - 600 acres and home to more than 4,300 trees and plants representing 99 tree species. Founded in 1912, it has grown into a place where joggers, families and schoolchildren mingle with thoroughbreds, a reminder that racing here is woven into everyday life.
In racing terms, Turkey has been one of the success stories of the EuroMed region and the sport plays a significant role in the social life of its residents, with the Gazi Derby (last Sunday of June) attracting a crowd of 65,000. You are never far away from the next meeting at Veliefendi, where they race on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the winter and Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in summer. September's International Racing Festival crowns the season, when Istanbul's cosmopolitan energy spills onto the turf.
SEE: Visit the Koç Museum, one of Istanbul's most significant museums, which currently hosts the "Horse Power" exhibition featuring pieces from the Turkish Jockey Club Museum. Watch or join early-morning rowing sessions along the historic Golden Horn. Explore Chora Mosque, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Iron Church and the colorful streets of Balat.
STAY: The Bakırköy coastal area offers several high-quality accommodation options, including: JW Marriott Marmara Sea, Hyatt Regency Istanbul Ataköy, Sheraton Ataköy and Polat Renaissance Istanbul Hotels.
EAT & DRINK: If rooftop bars are your bag (as they are mine), there are few with finer views than 360 Istanbul. Other excellent drink and cocktail destinations include Gizia Brasserie, Ferida and Muutto. Fişekhane, a 19th-century ammunition-production complex, has recently been restored and transformed into a lifestyle destination featuring luxury residences, restaurants, bars and shops in a historic setting. The Atakoy Marina is not only a docking area for boats but also a dining destination, especially known for its seafood restaurants. Beyti is a Michelin-listed restaurant with over 50 years of history, specialising in traditional meat dishes.
► SANLUCAR de BARRAMEDA and ZAHARA de las ATUNES for SPAIN'S COSTA DE LA LUZ
Regular readers of this column will have detected a passion for beach racing. Choosing an example for a racing break was a hard choice, as all would fit the bill, but I have plumped for two tracks on the Andalucian coast.
If Spain can be considered the global capital of beach racing, then Sanlucar de Barrameda is its Daddy, having started way back on August 31st, 1845. Within an hour's drive is Zahara de los Atunes. Both offer never-forgotten beach racing experiences Sanlucar with a hint of sophistication, Zahara more homespun and raw. Your choice may be date-dependent - Sanlucar races in two three-day bursts in August, while Zahara has but a single day's racing in late October (next year's fixtures will be available soon at www.euromedracing.eu/beach-racing).
At Sanlucar, expect crowds of 15,000 or so and a lively atmosphere. Basic entry is free, but there is also a paid, grandstand area at the finish, housing the betting outlets. Children run their own 'betting stalls', improvised and colourful, while the last race dissolves into a sunset that paints the Atlantic gold.
SEE: Sanlucar lies on the left bank of the mouth of the River Guadalquivir, across from the Doñana National Park one of Europe's most beautiful and important wetlands. In addition, it has a peculiarity that makes this national park very special: in just one day you can see very different ecosystems: marshland, lagoons, pine groves, aloe vera, moving dunes, cliffs, 30 kilometres of unspoilt white beaches.
The beaches are a core pull of the region and include jewels such as Bajo de Guía, La Calzada, Las Piletas and La Jara. The town's attractions include the 15th Century Castle of Santiago, Church of Nuestra Señora de la O, Palace of the Infantes of Orleans and Borbon (City Hall), Palace of Dukes of Sidonia (municipal archives) and 16th Century Convent of Santo Domingo.
Within an hour's drive, a visit is highly recommended to the hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera one of the most celebrated of Andalucia's Pueblos Blancos, famed for their dazzling white lime-washed buildings. Hotel V is a classy boutique Hotel with commanding views.
STAY: The town boats several good Hotels, such as the Albariza Boutique, Casa de la Jara, Casa Palacio, Guadalquivir, Maciá Doñana and Palacio Marqués de Arizón.
EAT & DRINK: Local cuisine is rich and largely fish- and seafood- based. Aside from Restaurants such as Avante, Bota Punta, Casa Bigote, El Colorao and El Espejo and great tapas bars like Asa Balbino, Casa Damián, Félix, La Espuela, La Herrería de Paco, Los Aparceros, and Taberna der Guerrita, spare some time for the real local feel of the chiringuitos - beach bars/restaurants like Alfonsito, El Inesperado, La Orilla, V Centenario and Ramiro.
Try the local salty manzanillo sherry in wine cellars Argüeso, Barbadillo (Barrio Alto) and La Gitana.
► Zahara de los Atunes, Europe's most recent beach racecourse, is to be found 100km south of Sanlucar.
Zahara de los Atunes
SEE: Far enough south, in fact, that one can sight Africa from its Camarinal lighthouse. The small town boasts 15th-century walls and the Palace of Las Pilas. In those days, this huge construction played three very distinct roles: it was a fortress, a palace and a place where tuna was chopped up, salted and prepared. It was also the residence of visiting noblemen and kings, who came to Zahara de los Atunes to see the the labyrinthine almadraba fishing nets, designed specifically to catch Atlantic bluefin tuna the creature that lends the town its name and that still influences its every aspect.
The coastline is wild, golden and largely untouched, its long sandy beaches flanked on one side by dunes and low vegetation and, on the other, by the dramatic Atlantic Ocean. Tarifa, at the southernmost tip-tippet of Spain, within sight of Morocco, is much more than a surfer's paradise.
The racing is woven into a long weekend of culture and sport, with the Jazzahara Festival and fast and furious Horseball tournaments.
STAY: It is well worth choosing a Swim Up Room at the Zahara Beach and Spa.
EAT & DRINK: Tuna is prepared in every way possible and features on virtually every menu, whether in Restaurants (La Taberna del Campero or Casa Blas), Tapas Bars (CerveZahara, La Taberna de Zahara) or Chiringitos (Pez Limon, El Pescador and Breeza).
► KINCSEM PARK for BUDAPEST
Budapest has the easy charm of a capital that celebrates both opera and ruin bars. Hungary's only Thoroughbred track, Kincsem Park, sits so close to Budapest's heart that combining racing with all its other delights is easy. A frequent subway service takes you right to the track. Entry is free and booking a table at the Panorama Restaurant strongly advised. The racing season runs from late-March to late-November. In 2026, all gallop races will be held on Sundays, with Saturdays reserved for trotting and greyhounds. Key Thoroughbred racing dates in 2026: 10 May National Prize, 5 July Hungarian Derby, 6 September International Kincsem Race Day, 11 October Hungarian St. Leger, 8 November Ferenc Farkas-Jockey Club Prize.
Next year happens to be the 150th anniversary year of Kisbér, the only Epsom Derby winner from Hungary.
Kincsem Park is racing as Budapest itself elegant yet unpretentious, steeped in history but alive with modern rhythm.
SEE: Hop on the funicular to Buda Castle with its panoramic views. The Fisherman's Bastion whose stunning Romanesque terrace gazes over the Danube.
On the west side, walk along Váci Street for shopping and cafés, explore Heroes' Square opening onto the City Park where Vajdahunyad Castle is home to the Agricultural Museum, exhibiting Kincsem's and Imperial's skeleton and other horse racing mementoes.
The Hungarian State Opera offers guided tours, or take in the Liszt Academy-A stunning Art Nouveau concert hall offering guided tours.
STAY: Expo Tower by Mellow Mood Hotels is a 5-minute walk to the track. Downtown, consider the elegant Matild Palace or, for iconic Art Nouveau, the Four Seasons, Gresham Palace. Hotel Clark more boutique and for adults-only has great views over the Chain Bridge.
EAT & DRINK: Simaliba Belvárosi Csárda for traditional Hungarian cuisine, Fausto's Ristorante for fine-dining. A38 Ship, moored on the river, offers music lovers a unique atmosphere. For a refined take on the ruin bar, try Extra Budapest in the Jewish Quarter.
► ST. MORITZ for the ENGADINE VALLEY
St. Moritz wears its glamour lightly, as if winter itself were a couture season. The 'White Turf' must be near the top of any league table of racefans' bucket lists. On the frozen lake, White Turf unfolds like theatre: gallop races, trotting, and the surreal spectacle of skijoring, where horses tow skiers across the ice. The tented village hums with champagne chatter. The day to be there is the last of the three Sunday fixtures - in 2026, February 8th, 15th and 22nd - which features the Grand Prix. While it's a few years since the prize went abroad, you are still likely to see some international participation.
SEE: There's really only one way to arrive into St. Moritz the spectacular Bernina Express, one of the world's most dramatic mountain railways, which climbs nearly 2,000 feet from Tirano in Italy, taming steep gradients without the use of rack-and-pinion systems just adhesion rail. From its panoramic carriages with huge windows, you'll see fabulous scenery glaciers, alpine lakes and the famous Lanswasser Viaduct.
A paradise for skiers with three world class ski areas and 87 pistes. Corvatsch offers the longest floodlit piste and features night skiing under the early hours every Friday. The Chesa Futura is a weird and wonderful striking Norman Foster-designed building. Take the funicular up to the Photo Spot Chantarella for views back over the town and surrounding mountains.
Further afield, the Engadine Valley, in which St. Moritz sits, features many beautiful villages such as Pontresina (famous for glacier access), Zuoz and Zernez for the Swiss National Park. Perched above the nearby Bregaglia Valley, the views from Soglio are stunning.
STAY: The Kulm Hotel is the oldest in town, having been founded in 1856, and is the birthplace of winter tourism in the Alps. Badrutt's Palace Hotel, a symbol of Belle Epoque glamour with its turreted façade overlooking the lake. Carlton Hotel, more intimate and perched above the lake with panoramic views. Or, further afield, the 'fairy-tale castle of the Alps - Suvretta House.
EAT & DRINK: Da Vittorio in the Carlton Hotel is Michelin-starred. Hauser's for fondue or rosti. Bar Hemingway's Club for cocktails and a literary vibe. Pavarotti Wine Bar, with its expansive décor and relaxed feel, for Italian cuisine.
► MAIA RACECOURSE for the SOUTH TYROL
Merano feels like a threshold - Italian, yet threaded with German language and Alpine rhythm. The Maia Racecourse lies just beyond the spa town's thermal baths. The soaring mountain backdrop rivals any racecourse in the world.
This year, racing starts on Sunday 12th of April and continues every Sunday until the end of June, starting again on July 19th and culminating in the Gran Premio the 28th of June; then there will be a stop of 3 weeks until Sunday 19th of July and so on to the Gran Premio at the end of September. Outside of Britain, Ireland and France, jump racing is not exactly thriving in Europe, but the Gran Premio di Merano is a welcome exception.
SEE: The thermal baths - Terme Merano - are central in Merano, central, both geographically and culturally. Great, well-tended walks abound, and within a very short time of setting off from the town, one can be high above the river, maybe en route to a nearby castle or village. Seasoned hikers may prefer the Merano 2000 hiking area, to which one can grab a cable car from the town.
If there is an event at the Kurhaus, located in the heart of Merano, it is well worth checking out this striking symbol of the Belle Époque.
STAY: Art Nouveau is very much in evidence, which might sway you towards a stay in one of the iconic Hotels such as the Meranahof, Europa Splendid or Adria.
EAT & DRINK: Trattoria Flora is a stylish Italian Restaurant-bar set in a 14th century courthouse. The Schloss Rametz can be found in a historic castle, for refined cuisine and fine wines. Vicolo is popular for aperitifs and, for a riverside bar with live music and cocktails, try Gigis.
► Conclusion
The promotion and development of racing tourism is, of course, not only a worthwhile goal because it provides great pleasure for the participants over and above that, each of the above racing events is a significant contributor to its local economy. Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of Zahara de los Atunes. The race meeting was established with the express intention of extending the town's holiday season which previously petered out some weeks before the end-October/early- November date chosen for the fixture. And it worked, with Restaurants and Hotels now staying open and busy throughout October.
The vignettes above are not just travel notes; they are evidence. Racing tourism is heritage tourism, cultural tourism, community tourism. It is a way to enrich holiday seasons, sustain local economies, and celebrate traditions that deserve their place on the global stage.
The message is clear: if well-publicised and supported, horseracing tourism can bring joy to the traveller and prosperity to the regions that host it. It is time to bring racing travel into the spotlight it deserves.
European Pattern Committee - regulating 'black type' races
By Dr. Paull Khan
THE EUROPEAN PATTERN COMMITTEE: CHAIR BRIAN KAVANAGH ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
In this issue, we begin a series of articles in which we look at some of the EMHF region’s committees. We start with the European Pattern Committee, which controls the classification of black type races in Europe, monitoring the quality of the fields and agreeing when races should be upgraded or downgraded. In future issues, we will look at two further committees, which deal, respectively, with dope testing and the health and welfare of jockeys. In each, we will pose questions, from trainers, to the relevant committee chair.
The European Pattern Committee (EPC) members are France, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland. The ‘Part 1 countries’ within the International Cataloguing Standards book, often known as the ‘Blue Book’, which lists the world’s black type races. The contents of the Blue Book can be viewed online at https://www.tjcis.com/otherServicesDisplay.asp?section=5.
Any other European country that stages a Group race published in Part I of the Blue Book may become an Associate Member of the EPC. Currently, these are Italy, Scandinavia (covering Denmark, Norway and Sweden) and Turkey.
The EPC’s chair is Brian Kavanagh, who is also chair of EMHF. Brian is CEO of Horse Racing Ireland. We asked board members of the European Trainers’ Federation for questions to put to Brian and here are the results.
Q: Why do we not have both black type and the horse’s best achieved rating in catalogues? This would clearly indicate the quality of the horse and the information would be a huge plus.
BK: This question comes up from time to time and is essentially one for the Sales Companies. The European Pattern Committee would have no difficulty with ratings being shown in a sales catalogue, however, it is not a straightforward issue. By their nature, ratings are a subjective, albeit expert, opinion and can change significantly, upwards or downwards, over a horse’s racing career and the distance over which they race. A horse’s peak rating cannot tell the full picture and, in some cases, could be confusing.
Q: The EPC should put pressure on the countries that pay prize money very late and take away their status. (One of my colleagues has not received funds from a race three years ago from Italy; this should not happen.)
BK: We have done this, and the EPC has put considerable pressure on Italy to get its house in order with the result that payment turnaround times have improved, although they need to be improved further. In general, owners and trainers will ‘vote with their feet’ and be reluctant to participate in races where there is a doubt over payment being received. As the better horses stay away from races, the rating of those races inevitably suffers.
Q: Should there be a 'minimum' value for inclusion in the pattern, just as there is in the US? Germany seems to run a ton of cheap Listed races!
BK: This is an interesting question and not one that the Committee has formally discussed. We assess the quality of races based on their three-year average ratings rather than their prize money levels and, up to now, have taken the view that it is up to each member country to determine its prize money levels.
Q: Closing dates for races are a big bugbear amongst trainers—the fact that some races close so early and some don't.
BK: Again, this is not something within the control of the EPC but is rather a decision for each individual country. We know that this is frustrating in relation to the Irish Classics, for example, and as a result, we in Ireland have been progressively moving the entry dates for our Classics to later in the year.
Q: I know that I, and many of my colleagues, often say that the Pattern lacks a ‘narrative’. It's meant to be a European Pattern but everything is very country-orientated. Is there a way to make the race series flow better?
BK: I think good progress has been made on this issue with the creation of Longines Irish Champions Weekend, the expanded Arc weekend programme and British Champions Day, which provide a clear end-of-season narrative with three major championship events in the three leading European countries. Gp1 races are very well coordinated at the European level and attract international fields. I have sensed a more ‘European’ approach to various issues amongst the Committee in recent years.
Q: Why aren’t Listed, Gp3 and Gp2 races prefixed with a country code, e.g., ‘GB L’ or ‘FR L’? This would make Gp1 races stand out more as being European 'championship' races.
BK: This is a new suggestion to me and I would not favour it, as it would imply a lesser domestic status in certain countries, whereas races are measured to the same criteria across Europe. As I said above, Gp1 races already stand out at the major championship events.
Q: Why can there not be a common set of rules for all of the European Pattern? That way, everyone would know where they stand when they run.
BK: This issue strays beyond the remit of the EPC. However, it is a sensible suggestion and I believe things are moving in the right direction. Ultimately, every country controls its own Rules of Racing, but there has been a lot of harmonisation in recent times in relation to major rules such as interference and prohibited substances while we are moving towards a greater consistency among the major European countries in relation to use of the whip. As regards to the areas in the EPC’s purview, we operate to a common weight-for-age scale and fillies’ allowance system.
Q: What about the introduction of a points-based system for Gp1 races? This would open up multiple opportunities for additional revenue for sponsorship and betting.
BK: This has been looked at previously but did not find favour as the factors which influence running behaviours are generally prize money levels, prestige and history of the race. Various Championship and Horse of the Year awards are made at the end of each year and attract positive media coverage and sponsorship. In the UK there is a British Champions Series, which is a points-based system. However, I believe that the prestige and increased value of winning a major Gp1 race will always be the primary ambition and motivation.
Q: How does the EPC deal with pressure from racecourses to have races upgraded?
BK: Naturally, racecourses will seek to have their races upgraded, and this is a good thing. However, the duty of the Pattern Committee is to ensure that any changes are for the greater good rather than just to the benefit of a racecourse or a sponsor. There are strict limitations on the number of races which can be promoted each year, which has meant that EPC member countries have to focus on those changes that will have the most beneficial impact.
Q: The staying division seems to have more downgrades than upgrades. Why is this?
BK: That may have been so up to recent years, but in recent years the EPC has specifically focussed on the staying race programme, including those for three-year-olds and fillies only. A number of races were upgraded—including the Goodwood Cup and the Prix du Royallieu, both of which moved to Gp1—while there has been a five-year moratorium on downgrades in the same division as it is a long-term project aimed to alter breeders’ and owners’ behaviours and will therefore take time.
Q: I would be interested to know more about how the jumps pattern works—from talking to different Clerks of the Course, it seems that it's up to the individual country’s authority to have a race graded. Surely, there should be similar principles in place as per their flat counterparts?
BK: The jumps pattern is a matter for individual countries, although Britain and Ireland operate with virtually identical ground rules and rating parameters.
Q: My question concerns the European Pattern Book. Could there be more of an online format for all trainers across Europe to access?
BK: Moving online is certainly worthy of consideration, though many trainers I speak to would prefer the hard copy as well.
Behcet Homurlu, outgoing vice-chair.
EMHF WELCOMES NEW VICE-CHAIR
Like so many the world over in this annus horribilis, the EMHF has been forced to abandon all face-to-face meetings. Plans to stage our General Assembly in Warsaw, originally in May, were kept alive for a while, with hopes that an October alternative date might prove possible. …
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Diversity and inclusion in European racing
By Dr Paull Khan
When France decided in 2016 to introduce a weight allowance for female riders, it set the racing world murmuring and shone a light on the issue of gender diversity among jockeys.
Jean-Pierre Columbu, vice-president of France Galop, explains: “My president, Edouard de Rothschild, who had introduced Lady Riders’ races about a decade earlier, still felt they were something of a ‘ghetto’, and wanted to do more to see females compete on equal terms”. The 2-kg (4.4lbs) allowance applied to both flat and jump races, but excluded Pattern races. Last year, the allowance was reduced on the flat to 1.5kg.
It was a bold step and one that has quickly produced some dramatic results. Within three years, female professional flat jockeys are getting three times the number of rides they used to, and their winners tally has risen by a staggering 340%. Despite the exclusion of the most lucrative races, the prize money won by horses ridden by females has also nearly trebled, from €4.1M to €12M. To Columbu, this increase in earnings among lady riders is crucial to the recruitment and retention of women. “In our Jockey School”, he notes, “65% are now female. And there are, of course, many, many females in our stables who must have the opportunity to earn money”.
Indeed, it could be said that that the allowance has achieved its objective. Female riders’ percentage of rides, which are winners, has improved from 7.14% to 9.08%—rapidly closing in on the male riders’ equivalent figure of 9.73%. So has the experiment run its course, and will the allowance soon be phased out? Columbu does not think so.
“The allowance is going to stay”, he concludes. “I used to be a surgeon. In males, 35% of body weight is made up of muscle. In women, that figure is 27%. That is why the allowance is needed”.
Of course, France is far from being alone in experiencing under-representation of women riders.
Other countries have been studying the French experiment with interest from afar. In Britain, flag-bearer Hayley Turner’s exploits are well-known. However, not all in the garden is rosy. Rose Grissell, recently appointed Head of Diversity and Inclusion for British Racing, notes: “Recent successes should be celebrated and promoted, but there is further to go. Fourteen percent of professional jockeys are female, but women receive just 8.2% of the rides and, in 2018, no woman rode in a flat Gp1 race. So, while the trends are in many ways encouraging, they do not apply across the board”.
These concerns are echoed by the organisation Women in Racing. Established in 2009, Women in Racing was formed to encourage senior appointments at Board level across the industry and to attract more women into the sport. That ambition remains, but today, according to its chair, Tallulah Lewis, there is more focus on strengthening career development for women at all levels. For Lewis, a prime concern is the attrition rate; in other words, the fact that the 14% figure for female riders that we have noted above occurs despite the ratio of new recruits entering into racing through the two racing schools in Britain, being as high as 70:30 in favour of females. Understanding their lack of progression is a key aim.
Grissell, indeed, intends to examine issues of recruitment, training and retention, looking to help either remove the barriers to lady riders’ success or to lend support. One tactic might be to challenge the perception of the innate inferiority of the female jockey. Grissell again: “A study by PhD student Vanessa Cashmore identified that punters undervalue women riders: a woman riding a horse at odds of 9/1 had the same chance of victory as a man riding one at 8/1”.
Such findings call into question the need for a gender-based riders’ allowance and, indeed, British lady riders themselves have voiced opposition to the concept.
The French experiment—and its undoubted success—presents a dilemma to those who seek better outcomes for women riders but who are convinced that they are equally effective as their male counterparts, given the opportunities.
“We applaud what the French have done in this experiment, as it gives us all more information than we had before”, says Lewis. “Our concern is that it is based on the premise that women are not men’s equal when it comes to race riding—something the evidence disproves”.
Belgium, which boasts the highest percentage of the countries polled, has crunched the numbers and decided against following the French example. Marcel de Bruyne, director of the Belgian Gallop Federation, explains:
“We have the same percentage of females—43% among our professional and amateur riders and, as they achieve approximately the same percentage of winning rides as the men, we do not envisage giving a weight allowance for females”.
(All of which suggests Belgium would make an interesting case study.)
Spain, by contrast, is due to have introduced a 1.5-kg allowance for females by the time this magazine is published. It would be surprising if other countries did not decide to follow suit, either by replicating the weight allowance or conjuring some other incentive for the female jockey. A prize money premium for connections who engage female riders would be one such option, which would have the benefit of leaving the actual terms of competition undistorted.
Of course, gender diversity is but one aspect of diversity in general. It is often the first to be tackled because of the (at least traditional) binary classification applying to the sexes, and the relative ease of data collection. But diversity and inclusion in ethnic or racial terms, in sexual orientation and identification, in physical ability, etc. are all key components when assessing the extent to which a sub-group reflects the wider society in which it sits.
The argument is now widely accepted that homogeneity stifles innovation and that, in addition to any altruistic motivation for advancing the cause of the under-represented, there is also an economic, self-interested imperative for organisations to do so. And there is every reason to suppose that this applies equally to racing. The benefits, in terms of staff recruitment and retention, for example, that would likely flow from well-managed diversity should be just as applicable to, say, a trainer’s yard as to any other commercial operation.
Talking of trainers, the table below shows the percentage of female professional licensed trainers by country, and as with the professional jockeys, again reveals a very wide variation.
What, if anything, is being done to address this disparity? Or indeed, manifestations of a lack of diversity among other groups within racing: administrators and racecourse executives, for example, or, looking more broadly, among those who attend races, or place bets on horseracing?
The short answer would appear to be: not a lot. The country which has done by far the most work in this space would appear to be Great Britain where, two years ago, the British Horseracing Authority established a Diversity in Racing Steering Group.
The story starts in 2017, when Women in Racing jointly commissioned and published a study by Oxford Brookes University, entitled ‘Women’s representation and diversity in the horseracing industry’. The report found evidence of ‘a lack of career development opportunities (at all levels including jockeys), progression and support, some examples of discriminative, prejudice and bullying behaviour, barriers and lack of representation at senior and board level, and negative experiences of work-life balance and pastoral care’.