Was the ball over the line? … Did the batsman get a nick? …
Was that a proper touchdown?

Sport and technology do not always sit comfortably together, and the extent to which technology can reasonably be used to assist referees and umpires is hotly debated - in the boardrooms of sports administrators as well as pubs and bars.

But there's one sport which has happily embraced camera technology for well over half a century - and one company which has been in the forefront of developing as well as deploying the essential technology.

The sport is horseracing. The company is RaceTech.

Just imagine where horseracing would be without modern technology. Imagine a desperately close finish without the photofinish, with the fate of millions of pounds of betting money relying on the judgement of one pair of eyes as a bunched field whizzes past the winning post at 40 miles per hour

Imagine Flat racing without starting stalls to provide an even break. Plenty of racegoers remember the days when races were started with the starting gate, and how unfair and chaotic the system could be.

Imagine racing without the camera patrol, and think of the trickery that some jockeys might - just might! - use in a race without the camera filming their every movement. Racing's integrity depends on constant scrutiny of the action.

Imagine serious study of the form without the benefit of accurate electronic timing: it's no coincidence that most of the big punters consider timing an essential part of the form picture.

Imagine a day at the races without the big screen opposite the stands to give racegoers a close-up view of the action, as well as broadcasting any amount of useful information between races. And imagine no public address system or closed-circuit television to keep you informed.

RaceTech – keeping Racing on Track

The company now trading under the name RaceTech began life as the Race Finish Recording Company in 1946, following an investigation by the Jockey Club into how photography could be used as a means for judging the results of horse races. First used for the 1947 Flat season, the photofinish soon became an established part of the racing scene, and further significant technological advances soon followed as racing technology developed rapidly through the 1950s and into the 1960s: electronic race timing was introduced in 1950, the first racecourse commentary at Goodwood in 1952, the camera patrol in 1960, and starting stalls in 1965.

In 1967 the company became a subsidiary of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, was given the title Racecourse Technical Services to reflect its widening range of technological activities, and moved from central London to its present base in Raynes Park in South-West London (not far from Sandown Park Racecourse). This was a momentous year for the company, as the 1967 Derby won by Royal Palace was the first running of the world's premier Classic started from stalls.

In 1995 Racecourse Technical Services was renamed RaceTech and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Horseracing Board - then in March 1998 ownership transferred to the Racecourse Association.

RaceTech's brief is to provide technical support for horseracing, and the company is currently responsible for the provision and operation of

• starting stalls
• photofinish
• supply of Outside Broadcast facilities
• camera patrol
• race timing
• public address and radio communications
  

RaceTech supplies closed-circuit television coverage, provides racecourse cable installations, and feeds pictures to other broadcasting concerns including the BBC, Channel 4 Racing and the satellite channels At The Races and Racing UK. In addition, the company advises developing racing nations on the technical matters which are such a vital element of the modern sport, and uses its unique film archive for the private use of owners, trainers and punters.

Racing without RaceTech? - Keeping Racing on Track