Technology has changed our lives in many ways, and one of them is through the sports we are watching.
If we just go back a decade, we can see some major changes in the sporting world, for example using more advanced cameras for broadcasting, VAR technology in football, improved safety in the NFL, and more accurate data and tracking technologies.
Technology also has a huge impact on horse racing and without it, the sport wouldn’t be the same.
Compared to other sports, it seems like horse racing is one of the sports that has been holding to its roots and traditions which translates in the slowest technology adaptation time.
However, it seems like technological advancements are inevitable and every sport needs to adapt to modern times. With that said, let’s go through some of the ways technology has changed horse racing.
Safety
The safety of the jockey and the horse should be the top priority in a race, and a few years ago, there were little to no safety measures on horse racing events.
For example, horses always run with the risk of overheating, which can seriously impact their health. But thanks to thermal imaging cameras, on-track vets can accurately check the temperature of horses before and after the race and take immediate action to cool them off.
Additionally, every track like the Tampa Bay Downs – www.twinspires.com/race-tracks/tampa-bay-downs must have the latest medical equipment that can be used also on humans, such as MRI scanners, endoscopes, or X-rays. This helps them diagnose injuries or diseases much faster.
Thanks to medical technology, the number of fatalities is decreased by 30% in the past couple of years.
Mobile Betting
Wagering has always been part of this sport, and most people see it as part of the experience of going to a horse racing event. In the past, betting on horses was done at the track with totes and bookmakers that made their odds for each horse that is participating. Most transactions were handled in cash and many fixed matches and scammers want you to take all your money.
However, thanks to technology, now you don’t need to go to an actual horse racing event to place your bet. Many bookmakers follow almost all horse racing events in the world and you can place a bet with more realistic odds, less risk of fixes, and from every part of the world.
The technology behind mobile betting allows you to follow the race in real-time and place bets in seconds. You can also compare odds to other bookmakers and choose the best one for the money.
Improved Data
If you love horse race betting then you probably already know that data plays a crucial role in determining the performance of each horse that participates in the race. Being a data-driven sport, fans and trainers use factors like horse’s form, weather and track conditions, distance, and shape of the track to predict outcomes.
Additionally, the post-match analytics are much more detailed than before. This has a lot to do with the tracking technologies from companies like TurfTrax that is responsible for developing equipment that is used on horses to detect where a horse is in relation to the track in real-time.
Having data is great, but there isn’t any value if you cannot store it or read it properly. This is where cloud technology comes in handy. Nowadays, most companies and bookmakers add extensive data reports before and after the race. This enables fans to make more accurate decisions when it comes to betting, and have a better idea about who has the biggest chance of winning the race.
Photo Finishes
Horse racing is a sport that has many close finishes where it is hard to determine the winner with the naked eye. That’s why back in the 1880s, organizers started using photo finishes, where at the beginning a man took the photo manually, which was very unreliable, then they’ve made an automatically triggered system that snaps a photo when horses are crossing the finish line. Even with such technology, organizers still had a tough time when deciding the winner.
Nowadays, horse racing has completely new technology that uses 1-dimensional array sensors instead of photo cameras. These sensors remove the delays that are usually caused by photo finishes, and cheering fans don’t have to wait for the photo to be developed before they know the weaner.
Today’s technology gives instant data that and can be accurate to the last millimeter.
Streaming
Without the attention of some of the most popular broadcasters, horse racing fans a few years ago had to go to an actual horse racing event in order to experience the sport. Nowadays, thanks to the internet and streaming technology, horse racing is more available than ever.
You can watch a race on the other side of the world, in real-time and with minimal delays. This significantly boosts the popularity of the sport and helps build a stronger community.
What's Your Reaction?
