The response by the Racenet community to our Beta Trial has been nothing short of phenomenal and the tone of the feedback from our loyal readers shows they are just as excited about the delivery of the full website experience as we are.
Certainly we are loving your passion and I want to assure every one of you who have taken the time and effort to pass on valued feedback we are indeed listening to every word.
Working with the team I've been getting stuck into all the new functionality of the website using the various filters to quickly access whatever information I need and I can't believe how much faster the new website will be when we go full-bore.
This faster, sleeker website has been two years in the making and reflects the Racenet commitment to providing the ultimate resource for the Australian horse racing community and instil some real confidence as we all strive to find that elusive winner.
Next week's launch means that the current version of Racenet will be retired, and the beta version will become the new Racenet.
However, for the time being at least, the current Racenet will not be forgotten. Until all information and features have been replicated on the new site, you will still be able to access parts of the current website, like blackbook and speedmaps.
However, the 'old form' as it is known on Racenet will be no longer. This is being replaced by our new interactive form guide -based on the old form -which enables you to use a number of filters to customise previous runs.There is also a host of new information available, such as position at 800m and 400m, and your experience on your computer or mobile phone will be identical.
Racenet has been the most trusted racing resource in Australia for nearly 20-years and rest assured all of our cornerstone assets will remain. But it's the exciting list of additional content that will be 100 per cent receptive to user feedback which has me bubbling with enthusiasm.
For example, one small and often overlooked piece of information when studying the formguide is the dual acceptor.
Dual acceptors have become more common in recent years and as such command greater attention.
In my experience, these horses often run well in whichever race they end up contesting however they can be easily missed so we are working on a simple solution to make your life that little bit easier.
Technology has facilitated vast improvements in how we consume horse racing so it's important Racenet moves with the times and delivers the most cutting-edge technology available to our valued clients.
We at Racenet are here to listen, learn and most importantly ultimately empower our readers to find a winner so stay tuned as we work to deliver you the best racing website you've ever experienced.
The most common questions we've received during this trial have started with "where is...",so I wanted to address this in one go by saying that before the current version of Racenet is turned off (and it will be turned off), all the information and features currently on the current Racenet website, will be available on the new Racenet. There will be nothing lost, but much gained, we promise you.
If you haven't already had a look at the Racenet Beta Website, do yourself a favour and take a peek. I can assure you it's well worthwhile. beta.racenet.com.au
Stephen Brassel
Head of Editorial and Content