New Canberra app tipped to up the stakes for thoroughbred buyers

Trainers, breeders and buyers will have yearling pedigrees and performance ratings at their fingertips when a new Canberra-designed app is launched by local data and media company Racing and Sports Pty Ltd.

While it’s in the proof-of-concept stage and is still about six to 12 months away from being completed as a commercial product, the concept has already got tongues wagging, with tech-savvy trainers getting excited about the unique one-stop-shop that could help them secure a champion.

Racing and Sports director Gary Crispe says the app will provide thoroughbred buyers with all the information and statistics they’ll need when researching a yearling prior to purchase.

“Global breeders have been using our performance ratings to predict the outcomes of matings of sires and mares for years,” he said.

“We’re now working on a platform that will have all the background about each sire and dam easily accessible in one place so buyers can confidently predict whether the pairing will produce a Stakes winner – which is where all breeders want to end up.”

Described by Gary as “a finely-tuned, highly experienced bunch of sports-loving tech-heads”, the Racing and Sports team already provides a number of web-based subscription services, including predictive analytics based on historical performance as a guide for yearling potential.

It also provides statistics for retail and private customers based on its comprehensive racing database.

The company is keeping up with demands from modern consumers by compiling all of the must-have information in one handy app.

During the app’s development phase, the team will do all the research and rank sires and dams from around the world based on the performance quality of their progeny. Buyers can tap into that crucial data rather than just relying on a foal’s bloodlines.

“Buyers would usually look at a yearling’s pedigree, but adding the performance ratings for each sire and dam brings it all together,” Gary said.

“Looking at the progeny they’ve produced going back several generations gives buyers another window of information on which to base their purchase.”

Around 13,000 foals are sold at auction in Australia each year alone, with buyers paying a few hundred dollars up to $2 million-plus for a yearling that ticks all the boxes.

In January, the I Am Invincible-Anaheed colt sold for $2.7 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale, and Gary says, with people outlaying that kind of money, they want to be sure they’re buying the cream of the crop.

“If people are paying millions for a young, unbroken horse, they want to have as much information as possible to maximise their chance of securing a champion,” he added.

For horse breeders and owners, buying a prospective champion at auction can be just as exciting as winning a race, and the app will allow buyers to have all the research in the palm of their hand before placing their bids.

While there are a number of subscription services in the horse industry, Gary says the new app is unique and will fill a gaping hole in the market.

The new app will be trialled in Australia and New Zealand next year before it is rolled out across all thoroughbred populations across the globe.

“I’ve already tested it a few times, and it definitely works,” Gary said.

“I’m looking forward to launching the app and offering something that makes it easier for anyone to buy a racehorse – whether they’re a high-profile trainer or a group of mates all chipping in to buy their first racehorse.

“The app will be easy to use and allow everyone to purchase a potential Stakes winner.”

Racing and Sports has the most extensive coverage of thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing in the industry, processing data and content from more than 1000 racing centres across 30-plus countries.

Gary says having access to the world’s most comprehensive, complete and accurate racing database in one app will be a game-changer.

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