Over 35,000 Thoroughbreds have now been digitally tattooed, Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau (TRPB) announced Thursday. The digital tattoo is an electronic authentication confirming the identity of a horse by a trained TRPB technician.
“Every racing 2-year-old, every 3-year-old and a significant share of 4- year-olds have digital tattoos and by the end of 2021, we estimate that 75% of Thoroughbreds will enter the racetrack paddock with a digital tattoo,” said J. Curtis Linnell, executive vice president, TRPB. “We have 56 TRPB Technicians under contract throughout the United States and Canada and even with the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been able to inspect, document and authenticate the identity of Thoroughbreds before their first lifetime start.”
The digital tattoo process begins when the technician scans the horse's microchip and if correctly reported, the microchip number hyperlinks to The Jockey Club electronic registration information viewed on a tablet.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
