The Irish Racehorse Experience was recipient of the Museums+Heritage 2022 ‘Best Use of Digital – International’ award for its Foal To Finish game, putting visitors in the boots of a racehorse owner, trainer and jockey.
The 600sqm exhibition’s bespoke exhibits offer face-to-face advice from industry characters – from the foaling manager to internationally recognised trainers – giving visitors the insider’s guide to this fascinating world.
Designers DMW Creative conceived unique hands-on and digital exhibits for the various zones to ensure a multi-sensory experience. Visitors interact with a digital Thoroughbred that reveals their remarkable biomechanics that produce so much power; they lift replica human, cow and Thoroughbred hearts, feeling the beats within; and they become a racing commentator in our Commentator Karaoke zone.
Big race excitement
To appeal to the competitive spirit of many of our visitors, we created the unique, mixed-reality Foal To Finish (FTF) game. A mobile device and headphones allows visitors to hear films in their native language; but also interact with the FTF game as they move from zone to zone. Visitors purchase a virtual yearling; choose a unique name; select a trainer and training routines; and design their own silks. This reaches its climax in The Big Race: a group experience where visitors race 8 mechanical horses down Naas racecourse, each horse’s performance based on the choices the visitor made up to that point. After the race, visitors can see a replay and rankings, with suggestions on how they can improve their performance next time. This digital game, layered on top of the physical experience, is globally unique.
Beating replica heart