SECTIONAL timing data was not available for a number of races at Dundalk on Tuesday after Noel Meade objected to his runners carrying speed-sensing technology in their saddle cloths due to the extra weight that would have been incurred by doing so.

It is understood that at least three trainers in Ireland are unhappy with carrying the trackers, and no tracking data was published for another race at Dundalk where Meade did not have a runner.

There was no rule requiring trainers to run their horses with the trackers while Ireland’s long-delayed sectional timing system was in trial mode, but, since the Dundalk incident, Horse Racing Ireland has informed the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board that the sectionals initiative is now moving from trial to implementation stage as of this weekend. Trainers will now have to comply with carrying the technology.

Meade told The Irish Field he believes the introduction of sectional timing is a positive move for Irish racing, but his objection to carrying the trackers lies with the extra weight that must be carried outside of a horse’s stated racecard weight. As it stands, jockeys can carry up to 4.9lb extra that is not counted in the official weight.

“It’s quite straightforward, really,” explained Meade. “We’re being asked to put these trackers on the horses and I have no issue with it - I think it’s a good idea - but we can’t be putting up more and more additional weight with extras.

Inflated weights

“Jockeys can carry 4.9lb over their stated weight, and now there’s another weight on top of that for the tracker, which takes it closer to 6lb extra. If they want us to carry those, they’re going to have to include them in the official weight. We used to weigh breastplates, blinkers and any extras but that isn’t the case now.

“When you take a two-year-old on the flat carrying 9st 5lb in a maiden, they could practically be carrying 9st 11lb now. Horses over jumps carrying 12st are now looking closer to 12st 6lb. I would have viewed 12st as a kind of limit at times for horses.”

According to Coursetrack, the company tasked with introducing sectional timing in Irish racing since last year, the exact weight of a tracker is 150g, and two are fitted in the saddle cloth (equalling 300g or 0.66lb).

However, Meade says he weighed a saddle cloth with trackers in them at Leopardstown last week and found it to weigh 1.2lb. Coursetrack insists that all trackers in Ireland – and the UK – are the same spec and these are used at all meetings where Coursetrack is deployed.

“I didn’t weigh the ones at Dundalk but I don’t think they were as heavy as that, they might have been less than 1lb,” said Meade. “The [weight of the] saddle cloth could make the difference. No matter how they’re looking at it, though, it’s more than half a pound.

“As far as I’m aware, [Irish Racehorse Trainers Association chief executive] Ryan McElligott has set up a meeting with an IHRB official on the amount of overweight that is being carried at the moment. We’ll have to see about the outcome of that discussion.”

Lack of data

Eddie Lynam won one of the races at Dundalk that no tracking data was available for, and expressed his disappointment over the episode.

“Unfortunately we have no timers because somebody didn’t want to put one in their saddle cloth,” Lynam said after Collective Power won a six-furlong handicap. “I, for one, would love to see them for every race. I think they are a big help to everybody; pundits, trainers, punters.”

Ireland’s lack of comprehensive sectional times has been heavily criticised in recent years, having initially been promised to be delivered at all Irish tracks by January 2017 when under SIS’ control. In a statement last autumn, Coursetrack said it was working “to ensure the full operational rollout ahead of the Irish flat turf season in 2023”.

An IHRB spokesman said on Friday: “Horse Racing Ireland have informed us that they are moving from the trial phase for speed sensing equipment to the implementation phase. For all races where speed sensing equipment is in use, this is stated in the conditions of the race. Now that the trial phase has concluded the IHRB will be ensuring trainers adhere to the published conditions of the race in this regard.”