Global Views: Time Is Of The Essence

Attracting a young, more diverse audience to horse racing is essential to the long-term health of the sport. It is often asked what can be done to make racing more appealing to a younger population, yet one has to wonder if the product that's offered caters to them. The introduction of sectional times would undoubtedly be a huge stepping stone in combating this irrefutable lack of appeal. By the same token, it's far from certain that Irish and British racing attracts the level of international interest that we have come to believe. The lack of data available relative to other racing jurisdictions puts it at a competitive disadvantage. Ireland and Great Britain produce the best Thoroughbreds, however, it is hard to say the best resources are being utilised to showcase them.

In the case of horse racing, the more information available the better. Sectional times won't be used by everyone, however, the sport must move with the times and become more accessible, and an increase in information and transparency will undoubtedly assist in this. Over the last 10 years, sports that cater to a data-driven population such as baseball, American football and Formula 1 have become increasingly popular. Even in the last fortnight, golf's 'Mad Scientist' Bryson DeChambeau recorded his first major victory by winning the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Bryson, whose statistical focus on the game has left traditionalists with a sour taste in their mouth, has been very vocal in the analytics of his golf swing, as well as his assessment of the different variables that are presented during a round of golf. Love him or hate him, there's no doubting that he won't be the last to adopt this 'winning formula.'

Around this time last year in the run-up to the Cox Plate, an Australian friend of mine posed a question to me I was half expecting and dreading. “Winx vs. Enable, Cox Plate, 2040 metres around Moonee Valley: who wins?” Having to tell an Aussie that I thought his country's pride and joy wouldn't have what it takes to run down Enable–brilliant. As expected, my answer was met with an onslaught of abuse, telling me how Enable wouldn't have the tactical speed that's required around The Valley, that I don't have the figures to back up my choice and that she'd have never raced around a track as sharp before. Rather than a shaky counterargument which would have consisted of pointing out that Enable had won at Chester, my response of “Enable just wins” seemed to have more substance and duly went down like a lead balloon.

Pardon the digression. The underlying point here is that the apparent high regard Irish and British horses are held in abroad is based on anecdotal evidence. If Nature Strip had come over for the G1 King's Stand S. this season, would it have been easy for Australian racing fans to weigh up their star sprinter's chance versus Battaash? Unlikely. It makes it extremely difficult for International racing fans who don't follow Irish and British racing closely to quantify a horse's chance in such situations, thus leading to them losing interest.

In 2017, sectional times were due to be introduced to Irish racecourses as part of a deal struck between HRI and SIS. The sport's sectional times advocates have been kept at bay for a long time by what seem to be never-ending trials of the technology, yet as time goes on one has to wonder if the promises made are empty. There have been questions asked over the relevance of sectional times in Ireland and the UK given the unique nature of the tracks relative to those in other jurisdictions, but surely this distinctiveness is precisely the reason sectionals should be introduced. There is no doubt that the sectionals from track to track won't be corresponding; this isn't an advocation of sectionals so we can compare six-furlong splits between Leopardstown and Ballinrobe. However, I believe the information could be used to compose homogenous sectionals for each furlong once a dataset large enough for each track has been derived. The resulting figures would be fascinating for racing fans and punters in terms of exposing uphill and downhill parts of a track, tracks where tactical speed in a specific part of a race is necessary, as well as making informed conclusions in the aftermath of the race.

The information would also be useful for horse racing professionals. It could assist trainers in their post-race analysis and future placing, act as an added awareness for riders with regards to setting pace, as well as assisting in handicapping, stewarding and improving the overall integrity of the sport. Not the toughest sell, is it?

'Punter's Intelligence' is an extremely popular sectional software used in Australia. Run by Racing New South Wales, the race data is presented through a free app, making it available for smartphone and tablet users. Performance data is collected 50 times per second through transmitters in the horse's saddle cloth, which is then collated and presented in the app to show race times, sectional times, distance travelled, top speed and positioning for every horse in the race. The app also allows its users to view a 3D simulated or virtual replay of the race and control camera angles. For all they only offer sectionals for a handful of British tracks, At The Races has set a very high standard with regards to the information provided and how it is presented. The 'Using the ATR Sectional Times' section of their website provides you with the various analysis tools, as well as how to use and comprehend them. Energy distribution charts, sectional speeds, efficiency grade and finishing speed % are included on the site. The user-friendly nature in which At The Races presents the information also deserves praise. Analysing sectionals can seem a daunting task, but At The Races has done a great job of simplifying the process, using pace corresponding colours, race position buzzwords and finishing speeds to great effect. Products like this make the sport far more appealing to those who are data-driven. They eliminate the guesswork of what happened and why. They allow justified conclusions to be made and in doing so, eliminate a barrier of entry in the form of 'being in the know.'

The introduction of the Tote Superpools in the last two years has greatly increased international interest in Royal Ascot. Throughout the 36 races this year, £137-million was wagered in the pools, with substantial amounts coming from Hong Kong, Australia and the U.S., compared to £20-million in 2018 prior to the World Pools being introduced. Sectional times have been provided with these pools in mind and are paramount to them remaining popular as sectionals are the minimum standards expected in the aforementioned jurisdictions. The Superpools haven't become as regular as people had hoped when they were first pitched in 2018. Were sectional times universally in place, perhaps it would allow for greater expansion of the Superpools which would be monumental with regards to the international interest of Irish and British race meetings.

If you were a racing fan abroad, would you be willing to dedicate your time to following Irish and British racing without the necessary tools to comprehend the form? Does a sport which lacks data and requires a huge investment of time to gain a basic understanding of appeal to the younger generation?

Sectional times could be essential in the battle to gain market share from other sports with data-driven audiences. The opportunity cost of failing to move with the times and attract new racing fans is colossal. Time is very much of the essence.