Sectional timing to be rolled out at all Irish tracks, beginning at Fairyhouse and Tramore on New Year's Day

The dawn of a new era in Irish racing will begin on New Year's Day with sectional timing being introduced at Tramore and Fairyhouse as part of a rollout to all 26 racecourses. 

The belated sectional timing data is a big step in the right direction according to Fairyhouse manager Peter Roe, whose track hosts a seven-race card on Monday featuring the Grade 3 John & Chich Fowler Memorial EBF Mares Chase (2.25).

Roe said: "The most important thing is accuracy and Irish racing can now be confident our race distances are exactly as advertised and that is hugely important for the future. 

"It's a massive step in the right direction. We're in a data-driven world so it's important all the facts are there for people to see and that they are 100 per cent accurate." 

The in-race data, which will also be published online after races, will include a race clock, leader’s speed, leader’s time per furlong and distance to finish. The system, which will be operated by Racecourse Media Group's timing partners Coursetrack, involves horses carrying lightweight GPS trackers, designed to fit within the saddlecloth. The trackers connect directly to a centralised operation at Racing TV’s London studios, meaning there is no need for antenna installations on course.

Dave Tharp, managing director of Coursetrack, said: "We're delighted to be working with HRI and the Association of Irish Racecourses on this exciting project and delivering our latest GPS technology to all the racecourses from January 1. This ultra-reliable, low-latency and easy-to-interpret data offers a scientific evaluation of a horse’s performance and serves as a valuable tool for analysing a race and for in-running betting.

"All sectionals will be available, as they are for our UK tracks, via the Racing TV results section and can be easily downloaded to a pdf. The graphics on the Racing TV and terrestrial channels will be available showing time, distance to finish, sectionals, speed etc. The courses have also started showing all data on their screens."

Coursetrack is currently operating on 35 British racecourses, with its data broadcast live by ITV in the UK, Virgin Media in Ireland, and RTV in both countries.

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