Following its successful deployment at the climax of last year’s inaugural QIPCO British Champions Series, QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot, sectional timing from TurfTrax is to be rolled out across almost two-thirds of the 35 Series races in 2012.
This is a joint deal between the QIPCO British Champions Series and the four individual racecourses involved – Newmarket, Ascot, Goodwood and York.
In total 19 racedays will be covered, including the whole of four iconic racing festivals – the QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival at York – as well as Betfair King George Day at Ascot.
Every race will be covered on the participating racedays, which comprise 16 QIPCO British Champions Series fixtures and three days which do not feature a Series race – Dubai Future Champions Day at Newmarket, when many of the stars of next year’s Series are likely to be in action, and days one and four of Glorious Goodwood.
Discussions are due to start soon with the host broadcasters to help them achieve maximum benefit from the data with which they will be provided.
The following racedays will be covered, with the 22 QIPCO British Champions Series races included in the TurfTrax deal detailed under each fixture:
QIPCO Guineas Festival, Newmarket Rowley Mile, 5-6 May
QIPCO 2000 Guineas, QIPCO 1000 Guineas
Royal Ascot, 19-23 June
Queen Anne Stakes, King’s Stand Stakes, St James’s Palace Stakes, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Gold Cup, Coronation Stakes, Diamond Jubilee Stakes
Betfair King George Day, Ascot, 21 July
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair)
Glorious Goodwood, 31 July-4 August
QIPCO Sussex Stakes, Artemis Goodwood Cup, Markel Insurance Nassau Stakes
Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival, York, 22-25 August
Juddmonte International Stakes, Darley Yorkshire Oaks, Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes, Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup
Dubai Future Champions Day, Newmarket Rowley Mile, 13 October
QIPCO British Champions Day, Ascot, 20 October
QIPCO Champion Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by QIPCO, QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes, QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup
Rod Street, Chief Executive of the QIPCO British Champions Series, said: “We are delighted to be bringing sectional timing to over 60% of our Series races this year in partnership with Ascot, Goodwood, Newmarket and York.
“As well as providing invaluable data to enrich broadcasts and post-race reporting, we hope that it will prove another step along the road towards even more extensive use of this excellent TurfTrax product in the future.
“All sports need to embrace technology and although installing sectional timing at British racecourses is challenging and costly given the unique layout of many of our tracks, it is something which we believe can play an increasingly important role in the appreciation and analysis of our sport.”
Michael Prosser, Director of Racing at Newmarket Racecourses, said: “We are great advocates of sectional timing, having trialled and subsequently utilised the TurfTrax system on the Rowley Mile racecourse in the past.
“We are delighted that sectional timing will be in place for the QIPCO Guineas Festival and believe that it will especially add to the post-race analysis of the QIPCO 2000 and 1000 Guineas – the prestigious Classics which will launch the 2012 QIPCO British Champions Series. We are also looking forward to having the TurfTrax system at Dubai Future Champions Day.”
Mike Maher, Managing Director of TurfTrax, said: “We are delighted that the QIPCO British Champions Series has been able to extend so significantly the number of races covered this year following the successful deployment of the TurfTrax Tracking System on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot last October.
“I am also extremely pleased that with added support from the racecourses, we will be able to cover a number of other high profile races on the supporting cards, further enhancing both the race day experience and our service to broadcasters, while continuing to provide valuable data from some of British racing’s most important festivals.”
