black lives matter

Yes, it's Derby week in Epsom and Chantilly, and it's all about the Classic generation, but as we briefly cast our minds back over the past seven days, let's hear it for the oldies. At ParisLongchamp on Sunday, the 6-year-olds Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and Marianafoot (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) pulled off a group-race double on a stellar weekend for owner Jean-Claude Seroul and trainer Jerome Reynier, while their younger stable-mate Elusive Foot (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) brought up a memorable treble in the Quinté. These followed Saturday's listed Derby du Medoc...

"I don't see no riot here, so why are you in riot gear?" That was the chant that the social justice group Until Freedom chanted at the Louisville police force as they marched outside of Churchill Downs on Saturday, but despite the presence of opposing groups brandishing weapons and carrying American flags and Trump 2020 signs, as they said, there was no riot here. The clashes many feared would materialize on Derby Day failed to do so. With opposing groups lining up on opposing sides of the track with police...

Is it even possible to be inclusive in an exclusive game? Kudos to Sue Finley and this publication for its series on diversity and inclusion, featuring several notable individuals who've made poignant cases for the benefits of opening racing's upper-echelon doors to Black people, people of color, women and other marginalized groups. However, the ways in which racing has been drifting are going to make this difficult. Money is power, and if you take away the participation of wealthy foreign stakeholders--South Americans, Europeans, and Middle Easterners--racing in this country is...