Trakus Winds Down Operations Amid Shift to E-GPS

The equine data-tracking company Trakus, whose information has been displayed at U.S. tracks for the past 16 years, will end its domestic operations this weekend, according to Trakus chairman Barry Weisbord. The company will continue to operate "a little bit longer," he said. Trakus, introduced first in 2006 at Keeneland, became known for showing horse racing viewers "chiclits," moving program numbers that appeared on toteboards and television feeds based on data from wireless signals collected with antennas from credit card-sized markers placed in horses' saddle towels at participating racetracks. The information was then further compiled into handicapping data for horseplayers, allowing them to know how much ground a horse traveled or how quickly it ran in segments of the race. Daily Racing Form first reported Trakus' exit from the marketplace. Among the North American tracks that utilized Trakus during the company's history were Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park, Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Woodbine, and those operated by the New York Racing Association. Additionally, Trakus had a worldwide presence outside North America in major racing centers such as Dubai and Hong Kong. Some North American tracks have begun using Equibase's global positioning system, known as E-GPS, deployed with the company's technology partner, Total Performance Data, and its contractor, Gmax Technology. Nineteen Thoroughbred tracks use E-GPS, according to Equibase figures from earlier this month. "I tried really hard to keep the technology sustained, but it was going to prove to be impossible," Weisbord said. "Equibase sort of backed a different GPS product, a lower-cost product. I'm glad we put these technologies, worldwide really, and that we blazed a trail for them." NYRA will soon use E-GPS for tracking, and American Teletimer will continue to be responsible for beam-timing NYRA races, with the E-GPS system in place no later than Jan. 1, according to Pat McKenna, NYRA vice president of communications. The Equibase E-GPS system began five years ago and has evolved into a modified system. "It was brought up to us by some of the (speed) figure makers that the final times of the GPS system were not as precise as necessary for them to judge performances," said Jim Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club and interim Equibase president. "So with our partners, TPD and GMAX, we came up with a hybrid version. So a race will be timed from start to finish with beam timing, but it will be in conjunction with GPS. So GPS can provide other statistics, including some intervals and generate those graphics of where a horse is at a particular time in the race." Weisbord said the racing industry benefited from the presentation of data collected and distributed by Trakus, just as other sports have innovated. "Every sport in the world has increased their graphic capabilities immensely," Weisbord said. "Can you imagine watching a baseball game without knowing how fast the pitch is or where it's going? "I think we did for racing what it needed. We pointed people in the right direction, both from a data point of view and a visual point of view. And hopefully the companies that are involved can improve on what we've done and make things even better." "I would say Trakus was a true pioneer, and they revolutionized how racing was looked in America and overseas," Gagliano agreed. "We provided some of the original seed capital for installation of Trakus, and we're hoping the GPS-based system will ultimately have broader appeal for racetrack customers."