Mercury Thoroughbred Consultants Inc.

 HorsePower Pedigree and Racing Database

Beacon Computer Technology develops unique application for horse breeders

CAMBRIDGE, UK – January 29th 2007 - Beacon Computer Technology has developed a unique Windows front-end desktop application, called HorsePower, for Mercury Thoroughbred Consultants Inc. (MTC) which enables their clients to view pedigree, race performance, progeny and family tree data from race horses.

The application draws data from an underlying Access database that contains five generation pedigrees and details of colour, sex and year of foaling for the winners of all Group and Graded Races in England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the United States from 1973 to the present time. In addition, details are also included for horses which placed 2nd or 3rd in G1 and G2 races in these countries. This represents a significant amount of data and presently covers over 17,000 Group performers with the database being updated continually as race results and pedigrees become available.

"Using the original DOS-based version as a basic template, Beacon has designed and developed an elegant, extremely smart, user-friendly, updated and enhanced version of the original”, said Alexandra Scrope of MTC. “It was a pleasure working with the Beacon project manager and software development team. Their enthusiasm, and quick and lively understanding of what is a highly specialised program, was impressive and I was able to incorporate fresh ideas which Beacon staff contributed. The work was produced on time and to budget and our close co-operation made the whole project a pleasure. I am thrilled with the results".

“We have enjoyed working on this project with the team at MTC and are delighted to have designed and developed such an important application for their clients and the horse-breeding industry”, said Dave Hunt, Technical Director at Beacon Computer Technology. “Our key priority was to meet MTC’s requirements that the application be designed using a modern Windows interface and should be user-friendly and flexible.”

HorsePower has been designed using the very latest Microsoft .NET technology and Windows user interface techniques resulting in an intuitive, easy-to-use graphical display.

HorsePower is now being marketed throughout Europe and North America.

MTC’s clients had the following to say about using the product:

"I would be lost without HorsePower2"
David O'Loughlin, Coolmore Stud

"I have used HorsePower since it was first introduced in 1995. It totally changed my horse life! Now I have HorsePower2 - absolutely fantastic, rather like going from a good VW to a top of the range Audi. I really do not think that anyone in the thoroughbred racing and breeding business could possibly do without HorsePower2 - put it to the top of your list of MUST HAVES."
The Dowager Duchess of Bedford, Bloomsbury Stud, England and Bloomsbury Stud, N.Z.

"My sales catalogue preparation would be incomplete without HorsePower. The newly improved HorsePower2 version is considerably faster too".
John O'Kelly, International Bloodstock Auctioneer

"As a user of HorsePower since its inception, I have always found it to be the complete program for pedigree study. How delighted I am, therefore, to find that the new version, with all its previous advantages intact, has even more to offer".
A. Leslie Harrison, Bloodstock Manager


About Mercury Thoroughbred Consultants Inc.
Mercury Thoroughbred Consultants Inc. (MTC) was formed in Kentucky, USA in 1981. The company was set-up to use the pedigree research which had been generated by Alexandra Scrope whilst working at the world-renowned Razza Dormello-Olgiata stud farm in Italy.
 
Alexandra's research endeavoured to find particular affinities in the pedigrees of leading racehorses, to compare these with the general population of racehorses, and to establish valid and accurate statistics to use as guidelines in the choice of stallions and mares for breeders in the quest to produce superior racehorses.

As a result, MTC created HorsePower, a database which provides pedigree data on all the major racehorses in the Northern Hemisphere from 1973 until the current time, together with full details of their racecourse performances, to Thoroughbred breeders throughout Europe and North America.

For more information, please contact:
Alexandra Scrope
Tel: 01638 750010
Email: alexscrope@dial.pipex.com

About Beacon
Founded in 1986, Beacon Computer Technology is one of the UK's leading software development companies specialising in consulting, design, development and deployment of customised solutions.

After 20 years in the software business, we have built a reputation as a trusted provider of high quality bespoke software with an experienced team of in-house consultants and developers. Our clients include some of the UK's leading organisations across a wide range of business sectors.

For more information, please contact:
Jill Compton
Tel: 01223 506616
Email: sales@beacon-ct.co.uk
www.beacon-ct.co.uk