Horse racing is one of the main sports that relies heavily on data. Past performances and training gallops are vitally important for trainers to make informed decisions when it comes to the runners within their yard.
The advancement in technology has made data analysis easier than ever in this current day of the sport, which has directly impacted the welfare within the world of racing.
Assessing data is done in every yard across the world by leading trainers, with AI also being a common tool used nowadays to make informed decisions if connections are unsure about the route to take.
But, how is technology such as Big Data and AI being used in this modern day in various sectors within racing?
Why Is Data Important?
Before assessing the sectors that have utilized the new technologies available it is important to understand why data is so important within racing.
The sport hinges on stats and figures to make informed decisions, whether that be in terms of a runner’s chances in a certain race or the condition of a horse determining whether they are fit enough to compete.
Data can be drawn from form on track, as well as monitoring blood and heart rates during training. Helping understand the status of a horse can aid trainers, as it will indicate their condition.
Data can also play a huge role in helping plot a run of races that a horse stands to win, as the numbers can be used to indicate a runner’s preferred distance, surface, and conditions.
Breeding
One of the most notable sectors within racing that has seen huge benefits due to the available AI and Big Data trends is breeding. Previously, there used to be a lot of guesswork involved in order to predict whether a certain progeny could create a champion.
However, the growth in technology has ensured that this process is more straightforward. Data can be found easily, with records of runners from over 30 years available with leading companies.
These stats and numbers could be vitally important when making a breeding decision, as breeders can assess the preferred distances and surfaces of each runner throughout a bloodline.
This ensures that making a more precise pairing is more straightforward than ever before. However, even technology still can’t perfectly predict how to create a champion, as a horses quirks and training methods could impact the end goals.
Purchasing Horses
The excitement of purchasing horses always sees full sales rings, but the growth in technology is now making purchasing of racehorses more seamless. A lot of guesswork was previously required, but now data and past performances can be easily located to take the luck out of the equation.
Advanced tools can now be accessed following the breakthrough in AI, which can help purchasers explore a range of extensive databases to make more informed decisions on the horses that they are looking at.
Among the information that is widely available include biomechanical assessments and pedigree evaluations.
These tools ensure that potential purchasers don’t need to spend weeks on end going through each potential horse, as the AI does much of the hard work to give a respected and well-educated verdict on the potential of each runner at the sales.
Race Tactics
After breeding and purchasing horses, you will still need horses to perform on track in order to get returns for your investment. And it will take a lot of time til they get to the highest stage: the Kentucky Derby. If you want to know how many races are in the Kentucky Derby just click here.
Fortunately, AI is playing an enhanced role when it comes to helping trainers and jockeys to get the ideal out of runners in competition. The technology can be used to evaluate potential race tactics, with AI able to take into account a vast sample of previous results from opposing horses, while also considering the track conditions and which run style they will favour.
For the most part, trainers will already be aware of how they will approach certain races, but the added importance of having technology to fall back on to ensure that a correct judgement is being made is always considered.
Equine Health
At the heart of racing remains the true stars of the sport- the horses. Therefore, it is vitally important to note that technological advancements have also had a direct impact on horse welfare.
There are now a vast number of tech tools available to help monitor and assess horses performances and overall health on a regular basis. These tools can help identify potential issues that can’t be seen from the naked eye, and help protect an owner’s investment from an early stage.
Importantly, they are also used to help find any potential issues that could be causing horses physical distress that could be impacting why a trainer may not be getting the ideal from a certain runner.
