LONDON – CourseTrack, the in‑race timing and positioning system owned by Racecourse Media Group, has overhauled its board as it looks to meet rising global demand for real‑time racing data and performance analytics.
The company has appointed Simon Bazalgette as non‑executive chair. Nick Watts and Nick Horsfall will join the board as non‑executive directors, alongside CourseTrack managing director Chris Murtagh and RMG Chief Financial Officer Tim Moss. They join existing director Andrew Donald, RMG’s head of product.
Bazalgette, a former chief executive of Jockey Club Racecourses and founding executive chairman of Racecourse Media Group, brings extensive leadership experience across sports, media, and entertainment. He currently chairs Spectacle Partners, a strategic communications agency for the sports sector, and GVS EQ, an international consulting firm focused on horseracing and equestrian sports.
“CourseTrack has already transformed the quality and consistency of in‑race data across British and Irish racing,” Bazalgette said. “The opportunity now is to build on that success by continuing to deliver a robust, reliable service for our partners while evolving the technology and expanding into new territories.”
Watts, a former investment industry executive, has served as a non‑executive director at LGIM and NewSmith and chaired several technology start‑ups. Horsfall is a senior executive in Gallagher’s Investment Consulting division. Both were early investors in Living Sports, a shareholder in CourseTrack.
Dave Tharp, CourseTrack’s founding managing director, will remain an adviser and shareholder in Living Sports after handing day‑to‑day responsibilities to Murtagh, who has been with the company since 2016.
Nick Mills, CEO of Racecourse Media Group, said the strengthened board positions CourseTrack for its next phase of growth.
“We’re delighted to support CourseTrack as it expands its footprint and continues to deliver world‑class data for our racecourses, partners and fans,” Mills said.
CourseTrack’s system uses lightweight GPS trackers embedded in saddlecloths to deliver real‑time positional data from 60 racecourses across the U.K. and Ireland. The technology provides broadcasters — including ITV, Racing TV and RTÉ — with metrics such as race clock, leader speed, sectional times and distance to finish.
The data also underpins in‑running betting markets and supports industry functions such as handicapping and horse welfare monitoring. Major races including the Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup, Derby, Juddmonte International, Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes rely on CourseTrack’s real‑time tracking.
The system uses RTK technology capable of sub‑10‑centimeter accuracy.
