Equibase reaches agreement to buy American Teletimer assets

Equibase, the industry-owned racing data company, has reached an agreement to acquire the timing assets owned by American Teletimer Corporation, in a move that will likely lead to the increased use of GPS systems to provide official fractional and finish-line timing data for U.S. races.

The transaction, which is expected to close later this month, will make Equibase the official timer at 52 additional Thoroughbred and Standardbred racetracks in the U.S. Through its TrackMaster subsidiary, Equibase already conducts official timing operations at six U.S. tracks, all of which have GPS systems in place.

Jason Wilson, the president of Equibase, said in an interview on Friday that the company expects to implement GPS tracking systems at 10 additional tracks by the end of 2020, with 10 more on the horizon for the next year. He declined to identify the tracks that would be prioritized for the systems, but said that many tracks have expressed interest in the technology.

“Irrespective of the transaction [with ATC], we’ve had a fair amount of interest from tracks over the past year,” Wilson said.

Equibase has been attempting to move toward GPS systems over the past several years, through a partner, Total Performance Data, a company based in London. That system is the official timer at Woodbine in Canada, Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in Maryland, and Penn National and Mahoning Valley in Pennsylvania. Wilson said that Equibase will continue to partner with third-party vendors for the GPS technology, which requires minimal additional infrastructure at tracks.

American Teletimer Corporation uses light beams placed around racetracks to record fractional and finish times. In contrast, GPS timing systems record the position of racehorses continually as they make their way around a track, allowing for the recording of relational data to other runners.

American Teletimer will continue to perform photo-finish, graphics, and television production functions for its partner tracks, the two companies said in a release.

Though the vast majority of races are timed accurately, the timing of races continues to be an issue at some racetracks, due principally to differences in run-up distances and the temporary alteration of turf course configurations. Supporters of GPS systems contend that GPS timing could lead to more accurate times in those races.

Wilson also said that the acquisition of ATC’s timing assets would lead to the implementation of GPS timing for workouts and the development of additional handicapping products. Equibase, which is owned by a partnership of The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, a racetrack trade group, is the official data supplier for the racing industry, and it produces handicapping products for sale on-line and at betting locations. (Equibase provides data to DRF.)

While the timing of races is relatively straightforward, Wilson said that using GPS to time workouts presents a number of different challenges due to the entry of horses at different spots on training tracks and the proper identification of horses and their workout distances. He said that Equibase plans to find a partner track to iron out all those challenges in the near future.

“The challenge there is always going to be one of logistics, not technology,” Wilson said.