Suzy Smith and Michael Holding call for action to improve racing's diversity

Royal Ascot winner Suzy Smith has called on trainers to do more to tackle issues of race and equality and said: "We have not addressed anything since the murder of George Floyd."

She was speaking on Wednesday at a "Let's Talk About Race" webinar hosted by the Diversity in Racing Steering Group and attended online by 250 people involved in racing and supporting industries.

Smith, who is also a National Trainers Federation council member, said: "From a trainer's point of view with the stable staff we have we already have quite a diverse workforce but that doesn't let us off the hook at all because we have not addressed anything since the murder of George Floyd, because as predominantly white people we haven't known what to do about it.

"The reality is we already have people of colour in sport – the fact we haven't addressed it, what message is that sending to people who are already in our sport, forget about bringing people in. I worry our silence is affecting the people we've already got.

"A lot of us are guilty of thinking that inclusion is just being friendly to people in the morning, rather than addressing the different problems. We don't realise we have this unconscious bias. It's right that leaders address this but they need to ensure middle management is also aware and it filters down to every member of staff."

Fellow panellist Michael Holding, the legendary former West Indies fast bowler and a huge racing fan, revealed how being mistaken for a lift attendant showed how much further society still has to go.

He said: "I was at Epsom at the Derby meeting, in the hat and everything, and because I was standing by a lift someone came up to me and automatically thought I was working there and asked me what floor to get off at for his box – because I have black skin."

Michael Holding: spoke at a 'Let's Talk About Race' webinar hosted by the Diversity in Racing Steering GroupCredit: Edward Whitaker

Holding also called for more to be done to show people of colour that racing can be for them and said: "There has been a lot of programming to do with gay people, to let them tell their stories, let people see that racing is open to them. They need to do the same thing for people of colour, let them tell their stories, highlight their involvement.

"I used to live in betting shops in England. How diverse the people in shops are you wouldn't believe. But they don't go racing because they don't see people like them at the racetracks. We need to let people know 'these people are here, they're enjoying it'."

Tony Langham, non-executive chairman of Great British Racing and British Champions Series, revealed a GBR/RCA research project is under way on that very subject and said: "If we don't tackle that, we're not going to have more trainers and jockeys."

When it was pointed out that there are no people of colour on the boards of the BHA or the ROA or in the senior executive leadership, he said: "There should clearly be board level representation in horseracing for people of colour.

"In Great British Racing, which I chair, we're a representative board. We take directors from the horsemen and racecourses but I've asked them to allow us to have people of colour who aren't representative of the two shareholders. We all need to take action in racing."

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