CourseTrack has appointed Chris Murtagh as Managing Director of the award-winning live, in-race timing information system.
Murtagh joined CourseTrack in 2015 as Operations Director and will now take on the Managing Director role vacated by Dave Tharp, who steps back from the day-to-day running of the business but will remain involved as a Director.
CourseTrack’s system involves racehorses carrying lightweight GPS trackers, designed to fit within the saddlecloth. In-race data for all races from 60 racecourses in the UK (35) and Ireland (all 25) – including race clock, leader’s speed, leader’s time per furlong and distance to finish – is provided to networks, including ITV, Racing TV and RTE for live broadcasts.
Chris Murtagh, MD at CourseTrack, said:
I am delighted to be stepping into the Managing Director role at CourseTrack and would like to thank Dave Tharp for his success in growing the company to where it is today. The company is built on a hardworking operations team delivering a slick service at over 1,000 fixtures a year, whilst a tech team has ensured that at regular intervals, we are deploying improved firmware and software upgrades to the product.
Murtagh has a wealth of sports industry experience, first as a professional cricketer for Surrey CCC and Shropshire CCC, before moving into a project management role where he managed website builds for Investec Cricket Zone, a nationwide participation program for the LTA, and an innovative live auction fantasy football game for UEFA.
CourseTrack’s data is used to support in-running betting across 10 bookmakers in the UK, creating new revenue streams for the sport, and powers Race IQ, the analytics solution that brings the data to life across broadcast and social channels. It also supports many other aspects of the industry, including handicapping & horse well-being.
Some of the world’s most famous races, such as the Randox Grand National, Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, Betfred Derby, Juddmonte International, Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby and Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, are supported by real-time data, which enhances the experience for fans and punters alike. The system deploys cutting-edge RTK technology to provide best-in-class accuracy, illustrated by the sub-10cm tracking now in use.
