You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink
It’s no secret that I haven’t pulled a single punch lately. When it comes to this industry, I am passionate, I am vocal and I say exactly what I think. But the Past the Wire way isn’t just about being tough, it’s about being right. I’ve always said that I’m as quick to educate or correct myself as I am to criticize, and after a recent deep dive into the state of racing data, I realized I had an opinion that needed to be adjusted.
The “Blinker” mentality
When I prepare for a big day of betting – the Kentucky Derby, the Breeders’ Cup, the cards that define a season – I silence the noise. I don’t want outside opinions floating around in my head. I want my own eyes on the tape and my own brain on the figures.
However, because of the brand, I need to have a social media presence. Despite my best efforts to wear blinders (pun fully intended), I hear and see the constant drumbeat of frustration from the gambling public. I recently joined that chorus and criticized the industry for what I saw as a lack of free data for gamblers.
I’m not talking about high-level proprietary analytics; no one expects that for free. I’m talking about the fundamental information that keeps the game accessible. It turns out the problem isn’t about a lack of data; it’s a failure to communicate.
A place at the table with Equibase
I recently had the pleasure of an extended conversation with Kyle McDonielthe chairman of Equibasis. Going into it, I wanted answers. When I came out, I realized that the sport has a serious asset in it.
Kyle isn’t just a suit; he is a gambler, a fan and a student of the game. With a background that includes ESPN and Fox Sports, he understands the intersection of media and data. More importantly, he really listens.
Through our conversation I learned that Equibase is co-owned by The Jockey Club and The Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA), which consists of a large group of tracks (including Churchill, NYRA, 1/ST and many others). – actually offers much more free information than the ‘noise’ of social media would lead you to believe. The problem is that the industry has not done a good job of telling you where it is or how to use it.
The evidence is in the portal
After our conversation, Kyle continued an overview of what exactly is available for free for every track and horse in North America. If you think you have to pay for every piece of information, you’re missing out on some of these tools:
Free tools and links to them provided by Equibase.
- Virtual stable: This is perhaps their most popular feature. It is a notification system that allows you to track any horse or jockey and alerts you to entered stakes and transfers. You can also use it to create your own horse trip notes, and it is personally one of my most valuable tools.
- Full maps and GPS data: You can access the full charts for every race. In addition, at more than 30 courses where GPS technology is installed, Equibase offers GPS maps with data points down to half-furlong for each individual horse. This is something that sharp players can do a lot with.
- Plus & Smart Pick Entries: Through their “Entries Plus” and “Smart Pick” interfaces, bettors have access to free “Pocket PPs” and interactive entry data that simplify the handicapping process. Pocket PPs are the basic achievements of the past.
- Extended profiles: There are dedicated profile pages for every horse, jockey and trainer on the registry, providing deep insight into the stats that matter.
- Innovation for the future: Perhaps most impressively, Equibase has a free dataset registration for entrepreneurs and academics who want to innovate in sports. They have already received more than 2,200 requests for this data.
The future: maps, GPS and reality
Kyle walked me through several projects currently underway to improve racehorse data management. Currently they are over 80 people across the country dedicated to equine mapping – a huge effort to ensure the human element remains accurate.
On the technical side, GPS is clearly the future of timing. Traditional beams are subject to interference and increased speeds due to run-up. While GPS has been criticized for being even slightly inaccurate, we need a dose of perspective: GPS is not infallible in any industry. Who hasn’t looked at their car’s GPS and wondered where they think you are?
The bottom line
We are quick to throw stones at the ‘powers that be’, and often those stones are justified. But after speaking with Kyle, I see an organization that is modernizing. They are currently working on a complete redesign of the Equibase website, including a much-needed improvement to the search function.
Is it perfect? No. But the data is there, the projects are moving, and for the first time in a long time it feels like the people responsible for the numbers actually care about the people betting on them. It’s time we stop complaining about a lack of data and start using the tools that are already in front of us.
What we have here is a lack of communication:
#conversation #Kyle #McDoniel #Equibase