GPS Tracking for Racing Horses
22 May 2018
Most horse racing enthusiasts know the 2019 dates for the three triple crown races:
- Kentucky Derby: Saturday, May 5 in Churchill Downs, Kentucky.
- Preakness Stakes: Saturday, May 19 in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Belmont Stakes: Saturday, June 9 in Elmont, New York.
Horse racing is an enduring sport loved by fans all over the world. It isn’t a new sport with roots that go as far back as the days of nomadic tribes in Central Asia. Yet there are changes that have been made over the millennia to make the sport more accessible to fans, safer for horses and riders, and more appealing as a business proposition. One idea that is being considered for making the industry more appealing to fans, riders, trainers, horse owners, and investors is GPS tracking for all horses. It offers many benefits, including those discussed below.
Track and Record Metrics During Training
Like many sports, horse racing comes down to a series of numbers. The horses with the best numbers on any given race day win the day. However, it is a series of numbers leading up to those victories, successes, and failures that help to define the true heart of the horse.
GPS tracking for racing horses can not only help to track and record those numbers, but also be used to instantly create graphs and charts comparing those numbers to other horses – or the same horse’s past performances. It can instrumental in the training and racing process for helping to recognize beneficial training exercises compared to those that may be detrimental for the speed and safety of the horse.
Improve Safety and Security for the Horses
Horses are beautiful creatures. There is no denying that. They are also substantial investments of money, time, energy, and love for their owners, trainers, and the fans who come year after year to watch them run. GPS tracking can be used to track the whereabouts of these horses at all times while also helping to ensure that no one is foolish enough to try to steal or tamper with the horses.
Avoid Critical Errors on the Track
In July 2017, it was reported, by The Guardian, that the wrong horse had won the race at Yarmouth after the incorrect horse had been placed in a race and won – a revelation that placed the entire industry under scrutiny. The mistake is one that was only discovered after the fact when routine samples were taken for scanning and would not have happened if all horses had been equipped with GPS tracking.
The final benefit of GPS tracking for racing horses is greater engagement by more youthful fans. Tech-savvy young people and adults appreciate the ability to track their favorite horses online, study the data available about each horse, and place their bets accordingly. GPS tracking makes it easy to keep this type of information on each horse and share it with fans far and wide making everyone a winner when tech, like this, brings horse racing into yet another new frontier.
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