Live horse racing data giants agree landmark merger

Total Performance Data and tripleSdata have come together to create the world’s largest automated distributor of live horse racing performance data to racecourses, stakeholders, bookmakers, media and racing fans.

Under the terms of the deal, TPD and tSd will become a merged entity. The merger will result in the combined company supplying live and post-race performance data from over 100 racetracks in 11 different countries, 365 days a year.  Amongst the 5000+ race days tracked will be many of racing’s most valuable and notable races including the $150 million of prize money at The Breeders’ Cup, The Saudi Cup, The Dubai World Cup, The Everest, The Melbourne Cup, Royal Ascot, The Pegasus, St Leger, The US Triple Crown and much more.

Racing fans will be able to access the live and post-race tracking data to contextualise the performances of the world’s leading thoroughbreds. Additionally, TPD’s unique automated in-play odds can be made available for all racecourses across the world providing fans the ability to bet on these prestigious events after the off.

Crucial to TPD’s success has been the long-term vision to create new revenue streams for racecourses. With over £50 million now bet on their in-play odds, this is now a reality. Entain, Sky Bet, William Hill, Bet Victor and Boylesports all leverage the fully automated and neural network inspired live odds.

tSd’s founders Carlos Santo and Sebastian Scholz will join TPD’s Board and assist with day-to-day management of a team of over 40 people globally. With offices in London and Sydney, Brad Higgins will drive APAC sales, while John McBroom will lead the global sales effort. More talent is set to be added to existing teams of engineers, data scientists, machine learning and AI experts and a new sensor fusion division specialising in computer vision to further enhance the next generation of racing insights.

Will Duff Gordon, CEO of TPD, commented: “We are extremely pleased to welcome the passionate and determined tripleSdata team to create a global champion of racehorse tracking and revenue generation. We are aware that today’s consolidated bookmakers seek the maximum amount of product from each partner, and we’re pleased to add three more countries of top class racing to the existing eight.

“The scale of the combined company unlocks the level of investment and expertise that racing needs to tell its story through advanced data. The effort to bring live racing from 12 time zones across 11 countries on five continents for 24/7 live action is testament to the partnerships built by TPD and tSd with the likes of Arena Racing Company, Equibase, Sky Sports Racing, At The Races, Emirates Racing Authority, Ascot, Australian Turf Club, Racing New South Wales, Racing Queensland, Racing Victoria, Racing South Australia, Singapore and Auckland Thoroughbred Racing.

“As with all industries and sports, the sport of horse racing is having to compete hard for attention. TPD and its racecourse partners share a vision that the tracking content can make the sport more appealing, and in the process make betting more fun. With multiple updates per second on speed, position and stride the goal remains to lift the lid on how horses run in order to engage a new generation of data hungry sports fans. We are confident this deal goes a long way to achieving that goal.”

Carlos Santo, CEO of tSd commented: “This merger brings together two visionary companies dedicated to pushing the boundaries of possibilities through technology and poised to unlock new opportunities and expand our product offerings.

“This marks the beginning of an exciting journey. Together, we will continue to innovate, adapt, and thrive in an ever-evolving landscape, delivering unmatched data solutions and experiences to our customers and stakeholders in the racing and wagering industries.”

Sebastian Scholz, CTO of tSd commented: “We are thrilled about this landmark merger and eagerly anticipate the incorporation of the two development teams from Total Performance Data and tripleSdata.

“This merger is not just a joining of forces; it’s a catalyst for ground-breaking product development.  We are poised for significant growth, aiming to expand our teams in the realms of artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud-based applications, equine welfare, sensor fusion, computer vision, in-play betting, and graphics applications.”

TPD Chairman, Eamonn Wilmott, commented: “In over 40 years of doing M&A deals, I have to say this was one of the most obvious fits I’ve ever seen.

“Carlos and Sebastian have built an amazing company, and we are delighted to join forces together. They care passionately about the future of racing, and we will all work together to help drive maximum revenues back into the sport. From the very first conversations through negotiations and due diligence they have been an absolute pleasure to work with and we are all extremely excited about the future we can now build together.”