Horse Racing Online
Dateline: 5/29/98It seems like only yesterday that I was first exposed to the Internet but it was actually about 5 years ago. At that point the web was just getting started and had very little on it beyond academic info. E-mail and newsgroups were the big thing and of course the first thing I looked for was horse racing. Only thing to be found at that point was the Derby list, a large mailing list for the "lively discussion of horse racing". There was basically nothing on the web at that time. Of course I joined the Derby list and have been there ever since and even took over the managing of it last year.
At that point in time, it was the only place to get news or race results (posted by list members) quicker than the next Racing Digest on ESPN or waiting for a print publication. As the web started getting more popular, a few people put up pages with archive info on the big races or photos, but the first real taste of online data was put up in 1994 by some place in Las Vegas whose name I forget. They were posting entries and results from most tracks free at first and then via a subscription service. It later turned out they were illegally re-selling the feed from another source and shut down, but that paved the way for future information providers.
Later that year the first online racing partnership was formed, Virtual Owners Partnership, and I joined. We bought a inexpensive older horse who ran up in Chicago and I did our web site. That was my first real attempt at web pages other than just playing around. The first contract for VOP ran out in December and I left to join another online partnership that was formed by some of the departing VOP partners plus some newbies called Cyberspace Racing Team. I turned the VOP pages over to the new version of that partnership and started up a new site for CRT in January 1995.
Now the number of sites is into the thousands, over 3000 linked to on my site alone, and still more come online every month. You can get entries 2 days prior to the races, past performance data, news items within an hour or two of them coming out on the news wires. Stuff you would never have dreamed of just 4 years ago! Before long, if the tracks have their way, you will even be able to place your wagers online although you can currently bet via telephone from most states.
Just so you don't think handicapping and wagering is the only presence online, take a look at the list on the right and see what a variety of topics are covered. Racing for all breeds is represented online now, although the majority of sites are for Thoroughbred racing, and subjects from history to fan clubs. Much research that would have required amassing a large library of expensive books can now be done online for free.
For a sport that is often considered archaic and hidebound, horse racing has embraced the technology of the internet more fully than many of the more tradtionally popular sports. There are fans now who were first exposed to horse racing online and many businesses and partnerships that wouldn't exist without the web and email. Many people check their favorite sites daily to keep up with the latest info or participate in online handicapping contests. You no longer have to live near a major track to be well informed. The internet has made it possible for everyone to have the latest information at their fingertips.
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