Horse racing is a sport that dates back at least to 700 BC in ancient Greece where Spectators gathered to watch a horse race with two-wheeled carts and a track with hairpin turns at each end. Today’s horse racing shares many similarities with the sport that started the entire thing and its population is constantly growing.
People love horse racing just because it is an unpredictable sport. This is where everything is possible, which is why the odds are slightly bigger compared to other sports.
Thanks to technology, horse racing now is a safer, more accurate, and reliable sport. Over the years, there were tons of new technological advancements that are used in sports just so fans can enjoy the sport better.
In today’s article, we will look at the impact of technology and how it changed horse racing forever.
Maintain Horses’ Health
The most important factor in horse racing is the safety of the majestic animals and Jockeys. Over the years, technology had a huge impact on improving the safety of horses, whether on track or after the race.
Horses go through a lot in the 2,000m race which is where technology comes in handy. Technology is used to help horses see the fences sooner which reduces fallers in races.
Also, technology is used for shaping and adapting courses in order to make sure the best possible design is used.
After-race treatment is also very important for horses. Nowadays, horses go on a thermal scanner just to ensure that the heat of the horse isn’t reaching dangerous levels.
Advanced technology is also used for horse treatment in medical care, where we can now perform x-rays and determine the health situation of a horse.
Finish Line Technology
Back in the days, the winner of the race was determined only by the referee, which proved to be very difficult especially when horses are moving at 65 km/h close to each other. That is where the camera came in handy.
People used to snap a picture when horses reach the finish line in order to determine the winner. This is a nice bit of technology that revolutionized horse racing, but it took a while until the image is developed and even the sometimes referees had trouble determining the winner.
Nowadays, each race track is equipped with infrared sensors that measure time more accurately and people can see the winner instantly after the race finishes.
Education
Technological advancement reshaped horse racing in every way possible. Not only jockeys and horses that benefit from using the latest technology, but also trainers are now able to teach new riders more efficiently.
The latest technology is helping pave the way for future riders that have a goal of winning some of the biggest races in the world like the Kentucky Derby.
One of the best ways technology can get them to be more familiar with the sport is using virtual reality.
Even though VR is a technology mostly used by gamers, it is a form of tech that is more actively used by sportspersons.
Technology is also used for explaining in-race tactics, and the best way to jump fences.
Online And Real Time Betting
Apart from the beauty and the competitiveness of horse racing, betting plays an important role in the popularity of the sport. Now horse racing is more popular than ever in terms of betting, and there is a good reason for that.
People can now place bets remotely through their smartphones or computers without going to an actual event. Sportsbooks now have a more advanced betting system that allows you to track the race in real-time and even place in-race bets.
Additionally, people can now make better predictions thanks to the massive data stored from previous races. They can check horses’ and jockeys’ statistics and base their bet on actual data from previous races.
For example, you can check the contenders for the upcoming Kentucky Derby here and place a bet immediately on your favorite: https://www.twinspires.com/kentuckyderby/contenders
Final Words
Technology has reshaped this sport into what it is today. It seems like these changes made horse racing more popular than ever, which is something we want, especially for sport with tradition as long as horse racing.
We constantly see how technology is changing sports, such as the VR technology in football, and who knows what the future will bring to us in terms of professional sports.