Kindred has made a commitment to support Great British Racing’s (GBR)‘Racing is Everyone’s Sport’ inclusivity campaign, in a strengthening of its CSR initiatives.

The international Nasdaq Stockholm-registered gambling group’s Unibet sports betting operator served as the sponsor of the Unibet Becher Chase Day at Liverpool’s Aintree Stadium on Saturday.

In doing so, Unibet encouraged jockeys participating in the race to wear rainbow armbands and rainbow pin badges – which were also handed out to racecourse staff and spectators – with the goal of drawing attention to the LGBTQ+ inclusivity campaign and spark conversations around the topic.

Furthermore, rainbow logotype lines were included in the saddle cloths for all races on the day broadcast on ITV, including the headline Unibet Becher Chase event. 

Ed Nicholson, Head of Kindred Racing Communications and Sponsorship, remarked: “At Kindred, we are committed to building a diverse team with an Inclusive and equitable experience for all. So, naturally, we jumped at the chance of being able to support this important movement.

“As sponsors of one of the big meetings on Saturday, we’re particularly pleased to donate one of our four ITV televised races from Aintree to help highlight the profile of the campaign.

“All four of our Unibet televised sponsored races, including the Unibet Becher Chase itself, will feature branded Unibet saddlecloths, each embroidered with bespoke names of the horses that will carry them and embellished with the Rainbow Laces colours. We will have also donated 20% of our marketing assets on the day to the campaign.”

The ‘Racing is Everyone’s Sport’ campaign is an initiative of Great British Racing and the Racing with Pride network with the goal of promoting inclusivity for LGBTQ+ people in the sport of horse racing.

It exists in tandem with the Rainbow Laces, a diversity and pro-equality campaign which has received the support of a number of football clubs and betting operators, most recently partners Watford FC and Stake.com.

“It is fantastic to see racing join the wider sporting community in celebrating Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces initiative,” remarked David Letts, Chairman of Racing with Pride and member of the Diversity in Racing Steering Group.

“Racing Is Everyone’s Sport provides an opportunity for British horseracing to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion on a public stage and to reflect on the progress which has already been made in this area.”