Sport in this modern day has become ever more reliant on advancements in technology, with some being slower than others in terms of adaption.
However, one of the few sports that seems to have found the right balance is horse racing, with data analysis tools becoming more and more important for trainers, owners, medics, and bettors.
For the latter, being able to access key performance-related data is vitally important before making selection at TwinSpires.com in order to make more informed and educated selections. But, what are some of the key pieces of technology that are used readily in the horse racing industry?
Health Tracking
At the heart of the sport is the horse, meaning that animal welfare is as important in this modern era as ever before. Therefore, one of the most essential technological advances is focused around maintaining the wellbeing of the animals involved.
Wearable biometric sensors are incredibly popular in modern day racing, with the equines wearing this piece of kit during their workouts. The data collected from the wearable is quickly found on devices and can be assessed by trainers and owners to ensure that their runner is performing, as they would hope. Importantly, the tech monitors blood and heart rates of horses, indicating whether a runner is fully healthy.
The metrics can be compared to past workouts to give the most accurate reading. This is an incredibly important tool in modern racing, as it gives trainers the ability to understand more about their horse, and it can pick up issues that may not be apparent from the naked eye.
The ability to pick up underlying conditions before they become more serious issues is vital, giving vets more time to address an issue and ensure that the horse isn’t feel discomfort for any longer than they need to.
Motion Sensors
While the prior mentioned wearable technology focuses on recorded heart and blood flow, there are also incredibly important motion sensors and accelerometers used in modern day racing.
Once again, the main aim of this piece of kit is to ensure that a horse is performing to their best ability without the hindrance of any issues. Motion sensors are used in racing to measure stride length and frequency, while also taking into account ground impact forces.
The data collected from this can help identify potential injuries and lameness at an early stage. An indication of the latter will enable a horse to get the treatment that they require at an early stage before risking picking up a longer term injury.
Furthermore, the tech also plays a vital role in ensuring that a potential stride pattern doesn’t put extra strain on a horse’s skeleton. This can also help to avoid injuries long term, giving trainers the ability to alter plans and training programmes in order so the horse doesn’t feel uncomfortable while they are racing.
Changes in Training Approach
Technology has also played an important role in the way trainers prepare their runners for a big race. Artificial Intelligence is used across a broad number of sectors in this modern day, and it has already achieved huge success in racing, especially in Japan.
AI has replaced the intuition of trainers, instead giving data-driven feedback surrounding how a horse should be trained to achieve their optimal level of performance. The tech can also take into account current training programmes, and assess the potential risks with injury or over exercising.
The power of AI also takes into account that all horses are different, meaning that each runner will be given a tailored plan that will be aimed at getting the very best out of them.
As has been the case with wearables, AI has also worked extremely well in terms of animal welfare, as it is able to pick up potential issues before they are visible from the human eye. Vets also use the tech to analyse the pros and cons of potential therapies.
Changes in Breeding
There are few bigger sectors in horse racing than the breeding industry. However, the sector has never been perfect, with even the most perfectly bred horse not being an exact science to scoring regular wins at the highest level. Instead, AI has revolutionised the industry with its power to consume vast amounts of data before weighing up the pros and cons.
The tech can give detailed analysis surrounding the DNA of any horse, indicating its traits for speed, health and stamina. It can then give a performance prediction for a potential offspring, indicated whether breeding would be a worthwhile venture for an owner.
Furthermore, it is vitally important in terms of healthy breeding, with AI being key to picking up potential inter-breeding, which could negatively impact an offsprings quality of life both during their racing career and after.
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