Anyone noticed the new Graphics and real-time sectionals on Trackside?

[Chief Stipe]

New graphics part of TAB’s long-term plans to educate punters

www.newstalkzb.co.nz

 

The way Kiwis watch horse racing is changing and Trackside bosses hope that ultimately provides punters with a new way of analysing the sport.https://bitofayarn.com

New Zealand Cup week saw a successful roll out of the new real time tracking graphics which show punters where their horse is during the running of the race.

The system powered by company tripleSdata is already common in some overseas jurisdictions and something similar was already being used by major New Zealand racetracks like Ellerslie and Addington.

But the new package will be expanded to most tracks around the country to provide uniform coverage of racing.

It shows where each horse is in every race in a graphic across the bottom of the screen on Trackside and Trackside.co.nz, along with race speed and sectionals.

The graphic clears during the closing stages of a race as less horses are in play and to provide a clean screen to cover the whole track as horses often spread across it.https://bitofayarn.com

The system works through transponders placed in saddleclothes for both thoroughbred and harness racing, which are transported around the country in the Outside Broadcasting Vans used by Trackside, so every time a meeting is covered, the saddleclothes will be there.

While some punters who watch a lot of racing may not need the system to keep up with where their horse is in the running, TAB Head Of Live Racing for Entain, Kyle Bettler, says it is a great resource for those new to racing punting or who may not be as used to reading races.

But Bettler says the ultimate benefit of the new system will be as a punting tool and helping New Zealand racing fans catch up with data analysis around the world.https://bitofayarn.com

“First and foremost it is a great new tool so racing viewers can see where their horse is,” says Bettler.

“Some punters may not need that but plenty of people will enjoy being able to track their horse for the whole race.

“But all the data from each horse is also recorded and will become available to punters.https://bitofayarn.com

“Within a few months we hope to have all that data collated and available on the trackside.co.nz website so punters can get in-depth information on any horses not only after races but more importantly when assessing their chances in upcoming races.”

Data analysis on things like sectionals, top speeds and even total ground covered is common in overseas betting jurisdictions but the New Zealand punting marketplace is still maturing, not only in terms of analysis, but understanding how markets work.

“We want to educate punters on how to use this data so they can be better informed,” says Bettler, who has a background at the elite levels of Australian-based professional punting.

“Next year we will be launching a new show on Trackside to help educate punters on how the data works, what to look for, how ratings systems work and how they can use all of it as a punting tool.”

The new graphics and data collection system will be rolled out on 30 tracks this summer but some of the less frequently-used venues won’t have it installed yet because they may not have the infrastructure to support it.

“But any track that races 4-5 times a year or more will have it for certain.

“In some cases we will have a test run at the next meeting for a venue and once that is successful punters will see it at that track’s next meeting after that.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.

[Chief Stipe]

I noticed it while watching 1000 Guineas day at Riccarton.  The sectionals assuming they were accurate were brilliant.

[hesi]

With GPS tracking technology readily available, and used in sports like tennis and cricket, I would love to have seen it used in horse racing.  Would love to know how far each horse actually runs in each race, plus birds eye track paths

[Chief Stipe]

4 minutes ago, hesi said:

With GPS tracking technology readily available, and used in sports like tennis and cricket, I would love to have seen it used in horse racing.  Would love to know how far each horse actually runs in each race, plus birds eye track paths

That's what they've been doing during Cup week.  Quite accurate too.  LOL shame the Jockeys dont have the real time info.  Might help them judge pace better.

[Shab]

Totally useless gimmick to keep punters betting. No edge if it’s available to everyone. Maybe if you bet against what horses it leads you into it’d be OK. Hopefully they get some expert analyst to spruik some runners from it and we can lay them for a profit. Oh no I forgot we can’t do that anymore.

[Chief Stipe]

37 minutes ago, Shab said:

Totally useless gimmick to keep punters betting. No edge if it’s available to everyone. Maybe if you bet against what horses it leads you into it’d be OK. Hopefully they get some expert analyst to spruik some runners from it and we can lay them for a profit. Oh no I forgot we can’t do that anymore.

Is that why Hong Kong has been doing it for years?

[The Centaur]

30 minutes ago, Shab said:

Totally useless gimmick to keep punters betting. No edge if it’s available to everyone. Maybe if you bet against what horses it leads you into it’d be OK. Hopefully they get some expert analyst to spruik some runners from it and we can lay them for a profit. Oh no I forgot we can’t do that anymore.

The more complicated racing gets the more punters will disappear because they figure there is no edge or more importantly don't have the time to do research. Neither will they take someone's word for it. They will also figure the bookie has mulled over this info so definitely no edge for the punter and unlike the bookie the punter doesn't have the time.

Now if TAB wants to drive turnover pay the trackwork watchers to report and pass on quotes from the trainers.

[Shab]

24 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Is that why Hong Kong has been doing it for years?

Good for them. Still a useless time wasting gimmick you won’t make any profit from.

[The Centaur]

43 minutes ago, Shab said:

Good for them. Still a useless time wasting gimmick you won’t make any profit from.

Some Hong Kong replays and the Ellerslie ones are clean videos i.e. no numbers on them. And indeed when Hong Kong replays do have the numbers the viewer still has to figure out the name of the horses. 

THe best and most efficient info is the in the running 4 still images of Hong Kong races after the event.

[curious]

Be good if they'd include that graphic on the published replays.

[hesi]

Be good if there was a site where you can look at

1.  Total distance run as compared to the distance of the race

2.  The track each horse has taken during the race

Should be able to be done with GPS

We hear claims that barriers don't matter, sitting wide through a race etc etc.  This would allow for further examination of that and what correlation there was if any

[Chief Stipe]

4 hours ago, curious said:

Be good if they'd include that graphic on the published replays.

Yes I agree.  Provides a lot of information when reviewing a race.  For example I saved the replay of the Canterbury Breeders Stakes and watched a few times.  

The winner wasn't actually 3 or 4 wide without cover the entrie trip like it looked and as the presenters and commentator observed.  The horse actually got cover 1 out and relaxed over some softish sections for 400m or 500m of the first part of the bend.  She steadily increased the pace from 500m out (observing the sectionals on screen) which put those behind her in time trouble.  Then put in an elite sectional for the last 200m that gave nothing a chance. 

Observing the sectional times while watching specific horses position gives a better assessment of their performance than post race reviewing the sectionals alone.

[Chief Stipe]

10 hours ago, Shab said:

Good for them. Still a useless time wasting gimmick you won’t make any profit from.

Really?  Well each to their own.  So how do you assess individual performance?  Surely not reading the Stewards notes!!!

[Chief Stipe]

48 minutes ago, hesi said:

Be good if there was a site where you can look at

1.  Total distance run as compared to the distance of the race

2.  The track each horse has taken during the race

Should be able to be done with GPS

We hear claims that barriers don't matter, sitting wide through a race etc etc.  This would allow for further examination of that and what correlation there was if any

Harness has that info and the system used at Ellerslie has the distance run by each horse.

[Chief Stipe]

10 hours ago, The Centaur said:

The more complicated racing gets the more punters will disappear because they figure there is no edge or more importantly don't have the time to do research.

This information has been available for years in other jurisdictions and there is no sign that wagering has dropped off because of it.   I know a number of individuals who download the data and process it themselves.  I also know that the top trainers have software programmes that analyse race videos for individual horse performance.  The days of stopwatches are disappearing.

10 hours ago, The Centaur said:

They will also figure the bookie has mulled over this info so definitely no edge for the punter and unlike the bookie the punter doesn't have the time.

Do you seriously think that bookies analyse every single horse in every single race to set their opening markets?  They biggest edge they have is the real time market  information.

How do you assess value if you don't review race performance?  

10 hours ago, The Centaur said:

Now if TAB wants to drive turnover pay the trackwork watchers to report and pass on quotes from the trainers.

You're kidding?  You'd rely on a quote from a Trainer?  The better option would be up to date videos with sectionals of jumpouts and trials like they do in Australia - particularly Victoria.  Trackwork watching is only useful if sectional times are provided not that I've ever seen a reliable correlation between that and raceday performance. 

[curious]

45 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Yes I agree.  Provides a lot of information when reviewing a race.  For example I saved the replay of the Canterbury Breeders Stakes and watched a few times.  

The winner wasn't actually 3 or 4 wide without cover the entrie trip like it looked and as the presenters and commentator observed.  The horse actually got cover 1 out and relaxed over some softish sections for 400m or 500m of the first part of the bend.  She steadily increased the pace from 500m out (observing the sectionals on screen) which put those behind her in time trouble.  Then put in an elite sectional for the last 200m that gave nothing a chance. 

Observing the sectional times while watching specific horses position gives a better assessment of their performance than post race reviewing the sectionals alone.

Yes. My point exactly. Though it may be of more use to connections and possibly jockeys reviewing a specific performance. Punters willing to do the work might also benefit because most won't take the time or effort required, giving those who do an edge.

[hesi]

Pete Lane does a lot of reviewing of videos and comes up with some nice value winners on regular occasions.  Sunday at Waipukurau with Sunshine Ale at 21's