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The British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) apologized after a racer was allowed to race under a racially offensive name over the weekend and said it would review the process by which names are approved.
The three-year-old filly’s name, “Jungle Bunny,” a derogatory term for a black person, was ignored by the BHA and sparked an uproar on social media ahead of the race in Wolverhampton on Saturday.
The BHA later said that the name had since been changed and that they were reviewing their procedures for filtering offensive names.
“Racist language is not tolerated in our sport, either intentionally or accidentally,” said a BHA spokesperson.
“We have taken steps to ensure that the horse changed its name immediately. It is now called Jungle Bells. This will be reflected in the records of the race result and the horse’s shape.
“We are deeply concerned about how this happened and we are reviewing the processes for approving racehorse names.”
Assistant coach Emma Folkes said she was responsible for the controversial name.
“I had no idea,” he said. “No one in the yard has said anything and I can only apologize.
“It was a totally innocent mistake.”
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