THE introduction of official sectional timing to Irish racecourses has been put back again to January 1st, 2024.

It was initially promised that all tracks in Ireland would have sectional timing operational in January 2017 when SIS was awarded the rights to implement the service. Little progress was made, though, and Coursetrack, whose majority owner is Racing TV parent company Racecourse Media Group (RMG), took over the rollout of sectional timing in Ireland early last year.

Trials of speed-sensing equipment were conducted at a handful of Irish tracks last summer but there were teething problems, notably resulting in an apology being issued after the Irish Derby following the publication of inaccurate data.

In October 2022, Coursetrack insisted it was working “to ensure the full operational roll-out ahead of the Irish flat turf season in 2023”, but that has not materialised.

Sectional times for races at Dundalk Stadium last winter were published although in April The Irish Field reported that three trainers had objected to their runners carrying the tracker in their saddle cloths due to the extra weight that would have been incurred by doing so.

This prompted Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board to step in and make it mandatory for trainers to comply with sectional timing requirements.

Sectional times for Leopardstown races have been published this season but there were none available at the Curragh last weekend, prompting racing journalist Simon Rowlands to publicly criticise Irish racing for its lack of progress on the issue.

“As in the good old, bad old, days, anyone wanting to make sense of performances from a sectional timing point of view was forced to piece things together themselves,” Rowlands wrote on the At The Races website. “That, in turn, was compromised by some unhelpful camera work. It seems, at times, as if Irish racing really is not all that bothered if you or I take an interest in it after all.”

Asked for comment, a Coursetrack spokesperson told The Irish Field yesterday: “As part of the recently-concluded media rights renewal, Coursetrack will be rolled out to all Irish courses from January 1st, 2024, and the process of ensuring tracks are ready to receive the service is underway. More details are expected to be announced next week.”