Revolutionizing the Track: How Tech Innovations are Changing Horse Racing

Horse racing might not be the first sport you think of when we are talking about tech innovations, but if we peel the layer and look closely, horse racing has advanced quite a lot in the past couple of years.

And there is a good reason for that. Horse racing might be the oldest sport in the world, but it is also one of the most dangerous ones, with 1.3 fatalities in 1000 races. Talking about fatalities in sport in modern times is crazy, which is one of the reasons why technology was introduced in the sport.

The goal is to make horse racing safer, more entertaining, more popular, and, of course, fairer.

It seems like the horse racing industry is galloping towards the digital age, and this is also important if the sport wants to stay relevant in the future, since young people are using technology every day.

So, what are the tech innovations that changed horse racing in the past couple of years?

GPS and Wearable Tech

GPS trackers and wearable sensors are now becoming a standard for big horse racing events. Just a few years ago, Churchill Downs rolled out StrideSAFE sensors, which were clipped to saddles, measuring stride length, speed, acceleration, and other factors in real time.

These wearable devices also measure horses’ and jockeys’ vitals, which makes the sport safer since we can now see unwanted conditions that might prevent both from racing and obtaining an injury.

But the most impressive thing was the motion capture sensors combined with artificial intelligence. We are talking about sensors that are strapped to the horse, and they analyze every movement of the horse. Then they compare the data and can tell trainers how likely the horse obtain an injury.

In other words, these sensors evaluate even the smallest movements of the horse that don’t look right, and they can determine the probability of a horse suffering from an injury, in which case the trainer can stop the horse from racing.

So, generally, these GPS sensors and wearable devices are making horse racing a lot safer for both horses and jockeys.

Drones and Cameras

Next, we have the entertainment factor, which is also very important when it comes to the popularity of the sport. Nowadays, big horse racing events have 4K cameras that are capturing every moment of the race, and the replays in slow motion are giving us a different perspective of the sport.

On top of that, we now have drones that give us that aerial footage of the race. Some racetracks like Churchill Downs even went deep enough to VR technology, allowing fans to experience the race itself like they are at Churchill Downs (sorry, you have to make the Mint Julep at home).

These cameras are not only for the spectators, but they are also feeding live odds and replays, which is really important for those split-second updates that bettors expect. After all, horse racing events usually last around 2 minutes, so this means that the odds need to update really fast.

If you are interested in placing a bet on upcoming major horse racing events, click here: https://www.twinspires.com/major-horse-races/

Synthetic Tracks

Synthetic surfaces like Tapeta and Polytrack, made from recycled rubber and wax, are replacing dirt at tracks worldwide.

We have racetracks like Del Mar, which became the second track in Southern California to install a synthetic surface in 2007, and apparently, the cost of this was around $9 million.

At this point, you are probably thinking, what does the surface have anything to do with technology? Well, we are talking about carefully analyzed substance combined with rubber and synthetic materials to allow water drainage, and to prevent horses’ hooves from going deep in the ground, which can cause injuries.

So, there is a lot of tech and science when it comes to horse racing surfaces.

Blockchain Betting

Blockchain tech landed in racing with platforms like ZED RUN, launched in 2019, where digital horses—NFTs—race online. This opened a new opportunity for horse racing enthusiasts.

Additionally, blockchain technology has also upgraded the entire horse racing betting systems, and now fans can place bets all over the world and get instant payouts with low fees thanks to cryptocurrencies.

Robotic Assistants

Robots rolled into the world of horse racing, but it is not like those teased Tesla robots that go around the stable. We are talking about machines that automate the care and needs of every horse.

Did you see the new Kawasaki robot horse? This may be out of context but imagine if this actually comes out. Who knows, maybe in the future we will see horse racing with robots.

But at the moment, robotic arms and systems are usually in charge of managing the stable and automating the process.

So, technology has changed horse racing quite a lot, and the process hasn’t stopped now. Horse racing will continue to evolve.