Breeders’ Cup 2023: technology abounds at the Santa Anita Showpiece

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships is one of the most important horse racing events of the year, with the two-day meeting attracting interest from all over the world.

This year’s event at Santa Anita in California generated plenty of headlines as the top equine performers on the planet battled to etch their names into Breeders’ Cup folklore.

Technology has played an increasingly important role in the Breeders’ Cup in recent years, with various innovations helping to support the successful staging of this iconic event.

We assess some of the ways technology impacted this year’s meeting, starting with a look at how changes in the gambling industry have powered an increase in the betting handle generated.

Online betting raises global profile of the Breeders’ Cup

When an event carries the prestigious title of ‘World Championships’ it naturally follows that people will expect it to be a truly global affair.

However, it wasn’t until Greg Avioli became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Breeders’ Cup in 2007 that it started to adopt a more international approach.

The introduction of a ‘Win and You're In’ qualifying system which granted entry to winners of major races overseas made a massive difference to the global profile of the Breeders’ Cup.

Horses from England, Ireland, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and South Africa were handed a route to the event, opening the door for them to tackle the best North America has to offer.

This decision had a significant impact on the betting handle, which rose from $129,197,262 in 2007 to a record $189,060,373 at Keeneland last year.

While this year’s figure of $176,281,989 was slightly down, the 2023 on-track handle of $19,419,844 highlights how popular the Breeders’ Cup has become with online bettors globally.

A quick look at Irish sports betting sites categorised by type ahead of the meeting highlighted that point to perfection, with all of them offering odds on each race several weeks in advance.

Many of those sites were forced to dig deep when top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien landed two big races including the Breeders’ Cup Turf with Auguste Rodin.

The well-backed 5/2 favourite was given a masterful ride by jockey Ryan Moore, sparking wild celebrations among punters who had used mobile betting apps to wager on the horse.

Irish tech experts enhance equine welfare at the Breeders’ Cup

Breeders’ Cup organisers utilised the services of Kildare-based technology specialists Equine MediRecord (EMR) to enhance equine welfare and anti-doping procedures at the meeting.

Working in conjunction with the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), EMR’s innovative software platform allowed for the full veterinary history of each contender to be recorded securely.

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) and 1/ST Racing were also involved in using the software to ensure compliance with all national, state and track rules and regulations.

EMR first provided their software to the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland in 2020, but that was the first year the meeting ran under the HISA’s full jurisdiction.

The firm developed a new system to comply with HISA’s new rules governing equine welfare and the anti-doping and medication protocols administered by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU).

The software provided trainers with up-to-date information from across the world of all relevant safety and integrity regulations, including those introduced by HISA. It also informed them of the correct procedures for submitting documents to ensure their horses were able to run in the Breeders’ Cup.

Pierce Dargan, the CEO of Equine MediRecord, said: “It is a privilege to work with the Breeders’ Cup again and for the first time under HISA rules and regulations. Given these new HISA rules, we made a number of changes to ensure our software was in compliance.”

“We believe our Equine MediRecord system has a role to play in the movement to help ensure that our children will be able to enjoy horse racing the way we have for generations. To be a part of that work is an honour and highly rewarding.”

Santi Anita secures ‘passport’ to slicker payments

Visitors to Santa Anita were able to benefit from the racetrack’s recent link-up with innovative payment technology experts Passport.

The track featured the Californian-based company’s proprietary automated teller machine (ATM) platform DataStream - the latest in ATM self-service and back office solutions.

DataStream is designed to maximise the availability of funds at the racetrack, minimize transaction times and provide people with a wide range of funding options.

Passport specialise in developing technology-based payments solutions and services for several markets including gaming, making them the ideal partner for the racetrack.

DataStream features an extensive online reporting portal, innovative mobile portfolio management application and dynamic currency conversion.

The platform’s desktop and mobile applications make transaction management simple for users to view terminal alerts, manage cash balances and monitor transactions.

“Santa Anita Park is an internationally recognised racetrack and we absolutely relish the opportunity to provide value, innovation and impeccable service to our partners,” said John Steely, Passports’ Chief Operating Officer.

“A huge facet of this partnership centres around uptime, hardware reliability, more cash to the racetrack and service. We are happy to spoil Santa Anita with the world class support and innovative products commensurate to their iconic brand.”