Rain or shine, however, the Thoroughbreds that thrill the crowd in the afternoon are tended to by the unsung heroes of the sport--the grooms and hotwalkers who rise with the dawn to check on their charges. Recent decades have seen a shift in the backstretch worker population, and a majority now hail from Latin American countries such as Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. Few of the lower level workers are proficient in English, but initiatives such as the Backstretch Education Fund (BEF) aim to provide English as a Second Language (ESL) courses in conversation and literacy.
The BEF was established in 2002 by photographer Lisa Ford, who got the idea after spending some mornings taking pictures at the track.
"I wanted to do something constructive that would offer an opportunity for people to help themselves," Ford said. "In the beginning, it took the form of vocational training, but we began to see that language skills were even more important."
Since then, over 3,000 workers have participated in the language program. The BEF also opened "La Escuelita," a language lab and communications center, at Belmont Park in 2009. Last year, the non-profit organization teamed up with the Backstretch Employee Services Team (BEST) to create the Backstretch Bistro, which is located near Gate 6 at Belmont Park. Open on weekend evenings, the Bistro offers the workers a place to gather in a cafe atmosphere on the racetrack grounds. Coffee, tea and pastries are served, and bilingual reading materials and films are also available.
"We've had increased participation and a number of our graduates have gone on to better jobs," Ford added. "There are a lot of people that want to improve themselves, and this is a chance for them to do that."
On Mondays and Tuesdays when there is no live racing, the BEF holds three-hour ESL classes on the grounds at Belmont Park. Classes are held in 20-week sessions. As many as 50 workers attend the Level 1 class in a room in the track kitchen building. There are two higher levels of classes, and placement depends on their English proficiency at the outset. Claudia Gronsbell, who teaches the highest Level 3 class, spent 16 years in local school systems prior to joining the BEF.
"Our students come from all different places," Gronsbell explained. "They don't speak English and they're afraid of the environment beyond these walls. One of the things we try to teach is that if you do learn English, you can go from being a hotwalker to being a groom, and the trainers will see that and give you more responsibility, and then you'll make more money."
Gronsbell is cognizant of the fact that her students have already spent hours at work before they arrive in the classroom.
"It's very hard for them, because they wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go to work, and then they come here," she offered. "But we do provide lunch. Once students get to this level, they realize that they can go beyond--the higher the level, the more motivated they are to learn. Some of them come here with only the equivalent of a fourth-grade education. We also have a literacy group for those that had no schooling before they came here."
Those who have participated in the classes also learn to give back to the community. Gronsbell's home sustained severe damage during Hurricane Sandy, and several of her students rallied to hold a bake sale and gather additional donations. The $500 raised by Humberto Sanchez, Ricardo Muñoz, Ruanis Garcia, Virginia Perez, Hermenegilda Tepalcinga, John Jairo Vasquez, Maria Robles and Charlie Gomez was donated to the FEGS Comfort Long Beach Initiative.
"I was really touched," said Gronsbell.
The students in the Level 1 class have disparate educational achievements. Classes for those beginners are taught by Aris Clemmons, who is pursuing a doctorate in applied linguistics at Columbia University. The California native arrived in New York in December, and also teaches Spanish at a Brooklyn high school.
"Students come from varied levels of education that range from not being able to write at all to having the equivalent of some high school in their native language," Clemons explained. "Level 1 is really about building a vocabulary. I give them assignments and try to circulate through the class to see who might need more attention. The range [in this class] is really large, but it gets smaller in the next two levels."
Students from the BEF classes will also be designing and painting a large mural that will depict both their roots and future hopes. The idea behind the project is to foster a greater sense of self esteem, which benefits both the horse racing industry and the community at large.
Among the trainers whose workers have participated in the ESL classes offered by the BEF is Tom Albertrani, who will saddle Freedom Child in the Belmont Stakes.
"I only know a little [Spanish]," Albertrani admitted. "I'm lucky enough to have two assistants who grew up speaking Spanish so that if I'm not able to explain something, they can. I think it's a great program that they have that opportunity offered to them to help learn the language. And it helps the communication, which makes for a better working environment."
Freedom Child will get another crack at Orb Saturday, having finished second to the eventual Kentucky Derby winner in a maiden race at Aqueduct last November. The flashy chestnut will carry the yellow-and-black silks of West Point Thoroughbreds and partners in the Belmont. Terry Finley, founder and president of the ownership syndicate, has been a staunch supporter of the BEF.
"I'm a strong believer in education--it's something that I'm passionate about," Finley said. "Awareness and education are critical to society as a whole, and the ability to communicate effectively opens the door to further opportunity. It's a great cause."
