Vol. XLIV January, 2009
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A Woman's Place is at the Rail
I first attended a Thoroughbred track at age four, in 1960, the year I started riding my cousin's Quarter Horse. Mom and Gram—my two strong, smart role models—were race fans, and decided that, since I was now a "cowgirl," it was time to learn about Thoroughbred racing. They took me to Green Mountain Park, a now-defunct track in Pownal, Vermont. We spent eight years at the Green Mountain rail before Mom decided I was ready for The Big Time, and we ventured forth to the Clubhouse rail at Saratoga.
Since I grew up in an all-woman household and was involved with horses and racing from a very young age, I was taken aback when, in 2005, I learned that women only fill about 5% of the executive and professional positions in racing.
This tradition of exclusion flies in the face of the statistics brought forth by two surveys conducted by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers' Association in 2002 and 2004. The SGMA surveyed every major American sport, and produced a voluminous (200-page) paper. They studied in-depth every major sporting venue in the United States, including stadia and racetracks.
One statistic—the one that made me smile was—Thoroughbred racing is the only major American sport for which women are the majority of the fan base. That's right: depending on the track and the time of year, between 51% and 62% of all paid admissions at Thoroughbred race tracks are paid by women and girls.
This sport—the one which captured my heart in youth and will capture yours at any age the first time you touch a horse—is, in a very real way, our sport. We can rightfully lay claim to the centuries-old durability of Thoroughbred racing. The millennia-old relationship between horses and women—the inimitable, mystical connection between our species—is rooted, firmly, in the human female's innate understanding of All Beings Equine.
We need to get the ear of the 95% male management and suggest some ways they may better market to their majority audience. Thoroughbred racing will become far healthier when the voice of women and girls is heard. Events like “Ladies Day” at the Breeders’ Cup and Saratoga (where make-up tips and health exams are on the agenda)—have nothing to do with women in racing. The powers-that-be in the executive offices realize they must market to us---but they still think we’re more interested in mascara than who's wearing blinkers. Our job is to train them to recognize what we want. We are fans, and we want our participation treated that way.
As Leroy Jolley said, "Every girl wants a pony. Every woman wants a pony in the seventh."
Amen to that, Leroy: women and girls of racing—I salute you. Women and girls not-yet in the sport—welcome. We've been waiting for you.
Marion E. Altieri |
