If you see it, you can do it: Kaiya Fraser's success can be crucial to inspiring the next generation
Jockey Kaiya Fraser has been one of the season's breakthrough talents and his success is a shining example of what can be achieved when different parts of racing come together.
As patron of the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, south London, I have monitored Kaiya's progress closely and, like many others, have been amazed that in the space of six years he has gone from having never sat on a horse to finishing third in the apprentice championship.
It's really important that as a sport we provide people with the chance to blossom. Kaiya has worked his way through the Ebony Horse Club and British Racing School and then had the support of trainers, notably Harry Eustace.
He is reaping the benefits of that, but, more importantly, so are the people he works for. Greater still, having someone from a slightly different community to what racing is used to making their way in the sport can only be a good thing.
A point I always stress is that when racing was really popular around 40 years ago, a lot of people lived in the countryside. But the country is now far more multicultural, diverse and urban, so it would be foolish to think the same people are going to be automatically interested in the sport.
I'm aware of the irony that I'm from a racing family, but I understand we can't rely on that forever and the chain will stop somewhere.
My mum is a teacher at a state school in Catford and after Khadijah Mellah won the Magnolia Cup, we both went into the school to do an assembly talk.
Khadijah was a hero to the children, a lot of whom were young Muslim, hijab-wearing women. Through her, they saw what was possible. If you see it, you can do it. Khadijah proved that and now Kaiya is doing the same.
Together, along with Naomi Lawson, we set up the Riding A Dream Academy to provide a stepping stone from the inner-city riding centres to the racing industry. Progress has been made, but there is so much more work to be done to make racing as approachable and accommodating as possible.
Kaiya's achievements will be recognised by the next generation and I really hope we get a lot more people from inner cities around Britain seeing what he has done and wanting to get involved.
Racing needs to reach out, not because the sport needs to tick a box, but because these are incredibly talented, enthusiastic and driven young people who enhance our industry and lives enormously.
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Published on inOli Bell
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