Universal Timing Data for Irish and UK Racing? The Case for Equal Access Across the Finish Line

The decision to exclude or rather not include AtTheRaces from accessing Irish sectional timing data isn’t just an oversight; it’s a missed opportunity that ultimately harms the sport. By withholding data from a platform that has done more than most to popularise sectional timing and enhance racing analytics, the industry is squandering a golden opportunity to grow its audience, enhance its transparency, and foster healthy competition. Here’s why AtTheRaces should be granted access—and why racing as a whole stands to benefit from a unified data landscape.

1. AtTheRaces Has Led the Way in UK Data Innovation

Let’s start with the obvious: AtTheRaces has long been a trailblazer in providing sectional timing and analysis across UK tracks, giving punters a wealth of information to refine their bets and understand race dynamics using sectional times. They’ve transformed the experience for UK racegoers, bringing data to the masses, making detailed analysis accessible, and contributing to a more engaged, informed fanbase. Given AtTheRaces’ longstanding role as a data pioneeras well as Proform, GeeGeez and others, it’s baffling that they’re being shut out of the very Irish data revolution they’ve championed.

Coursetrack technology, which has made sectional timing in Ireland a reality, operates on 35 British racecourses already, and its success has been driven, in no small part, by the momentum AtTheRaces built through years of popularizing sectional data. They’ve proven themselves as a responsible and innovative broadcaster that’s committed to enriching the racing experience for punters. To exclude them now is to deny that contribution and ignore the platform’s potential to take Irish racing data to new heights.

2. Fragmented Access Undermines Fan Engagement

When fans can only access half the story—UK timing data on AtTheRaces, Irish timing data on Racing TV—the overall experience suffers. Modern fans want a comprehensive, joined-up view of the sport, one that doesn’t force them to jump between platforms, subscriptions, or fragmented data sets. By splitting access along platform lines, the racing industry is effectively asking fans to choose sides in a way that feels arbitrary and frustrating.

For a sport that relies on engaged punters and growing its fanbase, this kind of fragmentation is a risky strategy. It risks alienating fans, many of whom don’t want to pay for two platforms just to get a complete picture. Racing is at its best when fans can follow horses and jockeys seamlessly between Britain and Ireland, and universal data access would empower them to do so. AtTheRaces has earned its place in this ecosystem and should be part of the solution, not a platform left in the cold.

3. AtTheRaces’ Broader Audience Reach Benefits the Entire Industry

AtTheRaces has a substantial viewership that spans casual fans, hardcore punters, and everyone in between. Their presence across both traditional and digital channels gives them one of the broadest reaches in racing media. Allowing AtTheRaces access to Irish sectional timing data isn’t just a win for the platform; it’s a win for Irish racing’s visibility. AtTheRaces can introduce the finer points of Irish racing to a diverse audience that might not otherwise tune into Racing TV.

By making Irish sectional data universally available across platforms, Horse Racing Ireland would effectively extend Irish racing’s brand reach, attracting new fans and creating a larger pool of potential punters. Every additional viewer that AtTheRaces brings into the Irish racing fold is an opportunity for the sport to grow its fanbase. Racing TV can still retain its exclusivity in certain areas—feature coverage, in-depth analysis—but Irish data is too valuable and too fundamental to the sport’s future to be confined to a single platform. Racing as a whole stands to gain when it reaches as many people as possible.

4. Universal Data Access Strengthens Cross-Border Rivalries

British and Irish racing are often touted as friendly rivals. Cheltenham and Leopardstown, Ascot and Punchestown—the competition between the two nations is legendary, and it’s a rivalry fans love to explore. Universal data access would allow punters to engage more deeply with these iconic face-offs, comparing how horses perform on either side of the Irish Sea with full transparency.

Allowing AtTheRaces to access Irish sectional data would let punters make informed, cross-border comparisons that add depth to these thrilling matchups. For example, how does a Cheltenham champion stack up at Leopardstown? Does the Newmarket form hold up at the Curragh? These questions can only be properly answered when fans have access to sectional data on both sides of the border, something AtTheRaces and others are ideally positioned to deliver. This kind of cross-border analysis is not only a fan’s delight but an untapped marketing angle, one that could make racing more relevant and engaging in the digital age.

5. Transparency Is Critical for Racing’s Future—and AtTheRaces Can Help Deliver It

If racing wants to shed any lingering perceptions of opaqueness, it must embrace transparency with open arms. Sectional timing data, available to as wide an audience as possible, is a step toward that transparency. When AtTheRaces has access to the same timing data as Racing TV, punters can rest assured that no single entity is controlling the narrative or keeping data from the public eye. The data being published on individual pdfs does not cut the mustard.

By locking Irish sectional data behind a single broadcaster, the industry risks creating a perception—whether fair or not—that some data is being selectively distributed. AtTheRaces’ inclusion would help dispel any notion of selective access, showing that Irish racing is committed to openness and transparency. For a sport that has battled image issues around integrity, universal data access would send a strong message that racing has nothing to hide.

6. The Audience Demands It

Modern sports audiences are sophisticated. They’re used to having real-time and comprehensive data in football, cricket, F1, and beyond, and racing is no exception. Fans expect—and deserve—timing data that spans national borders and platform boundaries. If racing hopes to compete with other sports for fans’ attention, it must meet this demand. Restricting data to a single platform is out of sync with modern viewer expectations and risks making racing look outdated and insular.

AtTheRaces, with its forward-thinking approach to data, has built a reputation on meeting and exceeding these expectations. Granting them access to Irish sectional times would signal that the racing industry is serious about giving fans what they want: full access, full transparency, and the ability to compare and analyse across regions without barriers.

The Bottom Line: Racing Needs a Data Revolution, Not a Data Monopoly

Ultimately, restricting Irish sectional timing data to Racing TV alone is a short-sighted approach. The racing industry has everything to gain from making this data as widely accessible as possible, and AtTheRaces should be part of that vision. Universal access will foster a more engaged fanbase, a stronger cross-border racing experience, and a sport that’s in step with modern demands for transparency and data access. By including AtTheRaces in the Irish sectional timing rollout, the racing industry could take a powerful step towards a more open, connected, and competitive future.

So, here’s hoping that HRI, Racing TV, and AtTheRaces can come to an arrangement—because at the end of the day, racing isn’t about picking sides; it’s about bringing fans closer to the action, wherever it unfolds.