Qatar Goodwood Festival to offer live weather data 26th July 2020

The rollout of live weather data at Festival meetings continues this week as Goodwood becomes the latest course in the UK to adopt TurfTrax’ newest innovation, a web-based system providing access to essential information direct from the racecourse’s on-site weather station during the Qatar Goodwood Festival which begins on Tuesday 28 July.

Developed by Cambridgeshire-based technology company, TurfTrax, in conjunction with a number of leading UK racecourses, the system provides horsemen, media and general public with up-to-the minute GoingStick readings, going maps, irrigation and rails positions plus detailed live weather data comprising wind speed and direction, rainfall and soil moisture content via a dedicated webpage.

Described recently in the Racing Post as, ‘the next level of race analysis’, live weather data has already proved popular with followers of the Royal meeting at Ascot and Newmarket’s July Cup fixture with an estimated combined total of more than 150,000 page impressions across the two meetings via the racecourses’ own websites, social media platforms and TurfTrax’ own distribution channels.

TurfTrax Managing Director, Mike Maher said, “We have been delighted with the response to the live weather data app so far. There certainly seems to be increasing demand for accurate data and the benefit of the TurfTrax weather system is that the information it measures comes direct from the course and not a weather station in the nearest town which could be several miles away.”

The Goodwood weather system came into its own at last year’s Qatar Goodwood Festival when high winds posed a potential threat to temporary structures, and the racecourse management was able to monitor the changing conditions in real-time.

“The information delivered by the app has been available to racecourses using the TurfTrax weather system for a number of years,” continues Maher, “but investment in the front-end now enables them to make the same information available to a wider group of stakeholders.”

Ed Arkell, Goodwood’s Clerk of the Course said, “Data recorded by the TurfTrax weather system is analysed daily throughout the year which provides us with a valuable overview of how this unique course responds to variety of weather conditions.

“This new web-based application enables us to share that same information in real-time in a wider context, which is particularly important when horsemen will be making decisions on running plans without necessarily having their usual access to the course.”

For latest Goodwood Going and live weather data please visit: https://its.turftrax.co.uk/visualiser/goodwood/

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Further information: Mike Maher, Managing Director, TurfTrax T: +44 (0) 1480 408 M: +44 (0)7866 383 952 E: mike.maher@turftrax.co.uk