Drone Meets Derby: How Aerial Tech is Changing Footage at Horse Races 

Horse racing is one of the sports that are constantly developing with the fresh technology that is available. 

This has been seen in breeding operations in the modern era, with a greater emphasis being put on artificial intelligence to make more knowledgeable decisions. 

However, there has also been improved elements to the production value of racing, enabling bettors to use better angles for their analysis to make more informed decisions about horses to include in the calculators, such as the one found here: https://www.twinspires.com/wagertypes/ 

But, what impact is aerial technology having on the improved racing broadcasting that is available in this modern day?

Immersive Experience

The use of drones in racing is ensuring that there is an improved immersive experience for all bettors and fans of the sport. 

Drones have the uncanny power to broadcast from a unique vantage point, something that provides a better immersive experience for those watching from home. 

This can be visibly seen during British and Irish coverage, with tracks such as Cheltenham and Ascot being bigger in sheer size than many locations around the world. 

Drones can take fans watching from home around the course in seconds, highlighting where the parade ring is, and how the layout of the course enhances the safety protocols in place for runners that are performing on track. 

Having an immersive experience will ensure that beginners getting started in racing can have a better understanding of the sport, and also highlight how accessible a visit to the track can be. 

Improved Analysis 

Horse racing is one of the latest sports to offer comprehensive analysis features, with former legendary jockeys and experts on hand to offer their insight and information surrounding where a race is won and lost. 

A higher vantage point will enable viewers to get a better understanding about where their horse is in the field, and this can help to create more informative analysis about what a jockey or horse could have done differently to improve their finishing position. 

Drones will eliminate the blind spots that have typically hindered the traditional fixed cameras, thus improving the information that trainers and jockeys can also take from a run. 

This can help to improve a horses running style, with jockeys and trainers able to adapt how their run their entry in the future. Drones also enable expert bettors to gain a better understanding of a horses ability, as watching back races can pinpoint excuses for a poor run, leading to a potential value in siding with a runner at a bigger price to outrun their odds on an upcoming start. 

Cost Effective

Running traditional cameras can often be an expensive exercise for broadcasters, meaning that drones offer a more cost effective solution. 

Traditional cameras at horse racing also rely on cars travelling around the track, which can be damaging for the climate footprint of a broadcaster. Drones cost very little to operate and use during racing, meaning that it is a far superior option that using helicopters to get a vantage point from a birds-eye view at a racecourse. 

However, laws surrounding the use of drones at racecourses can often be confusing. British broadcaster ITV got special approval to fly a drone during the Cheltenham Festival, with the racecourse typically being a no-fly zone during the calendar year.  

This stems back from a long-running saga between racecourses and bettors, as gamblers would look to gain an advantage by flying drones over the track to take advantage of slight streaming delays to get bets on a potential runner before the odds have changed. 

Continued Improvements 

Offering the best streaming services to a racing fan is something that is continually improving, with RaceTech being at the heart of the changes that are coming into effect. 

Across The Line cameras have become one of the latest innovations that have been implemented, with the slomo footage of horses crossing the finishing line being caught at 1,000 frames per second. 

This ensures that photo finishes can now safely and correctly deem the accurate winner of a race. In fact, the camera requires no human involvement, as they are set up exactly in line with the finish pole to give an unobstructed view of the crucial moment in the race. 

As well as drone and Across the Line cameras, RaceTech also provides unique pictures of horses at the starting gates in the United Kingdom, with stable handlers having cameras on their person to get a close up picture of horses as they enter the stalls. 

This is a unique vantage point for bettors, as they will get rare audio and video clips of the moments a horse goes into the stable. Not only is this vitally important for a bettor, but its also indicates the importance of welfare at the stalls.