While horse racing is a very old sport, recent advances in digital technology have completely changed the way it’s carried out.
Let’s take a look at how digital technology is changing race training.
A Different Approach to Breeding
Breeding has always been a very careful science. People will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars or more on stud fees precisely to ensure a championship level of pedigree. Even then, of course, there’s no guarantee.
However, with recent developments in both big data and artificial intelligence, it’s easier than ever to identify traits that are of particular importance and facilitate conditions that are most likely to deliver good results.
Not only does this protect the investment aspect of things, but it can also be better for the animals. Better genetics can mean better long-term outcomes. That means healthier, happier retirements for the horses.
Careful or Stat-Driven Training Routines
More information allows course management teams to train their animals cautiously. This can be used both as a way of reducing the risk of injury and increasing the efficiency of training routines.
The idea, of course, is to apply as much leverage as possible, find training strategies that deliver high results on the one hand without enhancing the risks of injury on the other.
It’s neither a perfect art form nor one that can be scaled across animals. Every horse will need its own different considerations. Nevertheless, through better and more robust information, training is constantly improving.
A Reduced Risk of Injury
One of the best developments in digital technology as it relates to training is the development and inclusion of Internet of Things devices.
If you don’t know, Internet of Things technology refers to physical items that have been infused with internet capabilities. At this point, that’s nothing new, but it is getting better than ever.
Historically, IoT devices have been able to constantly track information, but it’s been harder to act on it. Now, with the development of artificial intelligence in the context of information processing, this bottleneck is not nearly as significant as it used to be.
Consequently, IoT monitoring devices are able to immediately identify risk factors as they develop. Sometimes this is as simple as a small discrepancy in the animal’s heart rate or a minor change in their gait.
While the symptom that’s been captured by the device might be small, it’s often indicative of a bigger problem. By catching those issues quickly, the risks are substantially reduced for horses competing in big races such as the Kentucky Derby.
Not familiar with the Derby? Find more information about the biggest horse race in the world here: https://www.twinspires.com/edge/racing/kentucky-derby/
Better Diet Management
Similar to other considerations we’ve described up until this point, horse management teams are now able to administer more detailed care in the context of diet management and diet planning.
They can use broad data to develop a better understanding of what nutritional requirements horses have, and more specific data on what kinds of food are best for the animals that they’re working with.
It’s just one more way to be deliberate.
Schedule Planning
A horse’s schedule is considerably more important than many fans understand. If you’re a human athlete, you can travel in comfort. It’s still hard to be frequently on the road, but at least you don’t need to worry about the quality of your traveling conditions. Professional basketball players, baseball players, NFL athletes, etc., fly privately and stay in luxury hotels.
Horses do not. They ride in the back of 18-wheelers. They are generally sedated to avoid anxiety or injury, and once they arrive at the event itself, they’re kept not at the Four Seasons, but in a stable.
All of these factors combine to create circumstances that are less than ideal for the animal. Incidentally, they’re also very expensive for the management team.
It’s still important to get reps in, but they need to be carefully planned. Ownership groups now use high levels of information to plan accordingly. They’ll strategically arrange their schedules to ensure that their horses are ready without risking injury, exhaustion, or trauma.
Sometimes this even means identifying, at a higher level than has ever been possible, races that are most similar to major events based on track configuration.
An Old Game Scene In a New Light
It’s funny, horse racing has been carried out for hundreds of years. In many ways, a person from the 17th century could be transplanted to Churchill Downs and largely recognize the events that they were watching.
The structure is similar. The strategies are largely the same. And yet, the way horse racing is carried out changes all the time.
Digital technology has revolutionized the sport and will most likely continue to do so for many years to come.
