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The Cheltenham Festival is just around the corner. Taking place between the 12th and 15th of March, this is one of the most popular events in the horse racing calendar, home to some of the most historic racing moments, including Dickinson’s ‘famous five’ in 1983 and the Star vs Denman clash in 2008.
These racing moments in question, however, began all the way back to 1860. Originally named the ‘National Hunt Meeting’, the Cheltenham Festival has been running for 164 years, and it’s fair to say that a lot has changed over that time. Horse racing is different in 2024 than it was even twenty years ago, with advances in tech making the festival – and every festival, for that matter – safer, more immersive, and more entertaining than ever for the audience.
In the lead up to the Cheltenham races, then, we wanted to take a look at the tech used in horse racing competitions and how they have changed the experience for both participants and spectators. Starting with the track itself.
Analysing Tracks
Every horse racing track is different. Some are entirely natural, and some have been developed through materials like fibresand, tapeta, and polytrack, helping them overcome stress and extreme weather. Whatever the surface, however, it has become easier than ever to gauge the state of a racing course and ascertain its suitability. This is done through advanced measuring devices that can enable a detailed reading of the ground.
Identification Chips
Any horse racing event organiser will tell you how difficult it is to organise a festival, especially one as big as Cheltenham. With hundreds of horses entered and exiting the course throughout the day, identification chips have become crucial in ensuring things go smoothly. They do this by automatically checking horses in on arrival, bringing up a passport that includes their breed, age, and name. Before this tech was introduced, it was incredibly difficult to ascertain what horse should be in what race, with plenty of incidents in which horses have run the wrong race due to misidentification.
Wearable Tech
Wearable tech is booming in the market, but in terms of horse racing, we’re not talking about strapping horses with an Honor Watch GS3. In the game of rugby, for instance, new tech has recently been introduced into gumshields to monitor heavy impacts and measure the performance of players. This kind of wearable technology is also being developed in other sports, including football, swimming, and now, horse racing. Horse racing wearable technology includes heart rate monitors, GPS trackers, and sensors to provide real-time racing data. This not only helps trainers improve their performance, but helps them to spot health problems before they become serious.
AI Analysis
Even ten years ago, trainers would have to analyse races and training sessions themselves, without the aid of technology to identify areas of improvement. In 2024, however, artificial intelligence is starting to help trainers and horse owners make the best decisions. It does this through analysing various pieces of data – including the data harnessed by wearable tech – and identifying key factors that may have been missed. From this information, AI can then predict details about their future performances and conjure up informed tactics and strategies to ensure success. While this technology is still in its early stages, it’s likely that AI will continue to develop as more trainers implement it into their systems.
VR Headsets
Another burgeoning technology that is finding its way into horse racing is virtual reality. Some racecourses have already set up VR stages at their events, allowing their audience to experience the racing in an entirely new way. Offering this experience can not only offer a new, interesting perspective for spectators, but it can also help to promote horse racing to a potential audience that hasn’t yet found an ‘in’ to the sport – ensuring the sport’s popularity for the foreseeable future.
