Singapore Turf Club holds its last races after more than 180 years of operations

SINGAPORE: Thousands of spectators flocked to Singapore Turf Club in Kranji for the last time on Saturday (Oct 5) to attend Singapore’s final race meeting.
The club is hosting the Grand Singapore Gold Cup as a farewell celebration, featuring 10 races to pay tribute to its history as the curtain comes down on the club’s operations.
Race 3, for instance, is named the Singapore Turf Club Trophy by employees, while other races honour people such as the club’s founder and the first local female jockey.
When CNA arrived at the club at 9.40am – nearly two hours before the first race began – guests had already started showing up.
Some were dressed to the nines, with women in long dresses and men in suits. 
One of them, veteran actor Richard Low, said he watched races at Singapore Turf Club quite often because his friend is a horse owner from Lim’s Stables. 
“He would invite me to attend, and this is the last one in Singapore,” said Mr Low. “I’m quite anxious and excited. His horses have won many races this year.”
He said he usually wears suits to races, but that the suit he put on on Saturday was a nicer one.
Mr Low said horse racing is a beautiful sport, and he finds it hard to believe that it will be coming to an end.
“It’s a loss of a form of entertainment, especially for older people,” he said.
“But we must think of the bigger picture,” said Mr Low, who noted that the government plans to redevelop the area.
Before each race, horses are brought to the Parade Ring where spectators can observe the condition of the horses.
Just behind the Parade Ring, punters – mostly older people dressed casually – hurry to put in bets before the race begins.
One punter, who wanted to be known as Sam, said he had been coming to watch races since he was in his 20s.
Now 72, he said he has found friends who are similar to him through horse racing.
“Gambling mates,” he said with a smile, advising this reporter to not get addicted to betting.
Young people bet online rather than coming in to watch the races, said Sam.
“To make friends, this is the place,” he said, adding that people may get drunk and fight each other at nightclubs. “This one, win or lose – we go home happy.”
Asked what he would do on the weekends after this last race day, Sam said he would “forget everything” and not gamble anymore.
As the races start, attendees head out toward the race track, some shielding themselves from the sun with umbrellas. Cheers swell as the horses race toward the finish line.
Some rise from their seats, shouting and pumping their fists in the air.
One jockey, Mr Saifudin Ismail, said he was very excited to be racing on Saturday and that there were a lot of spectators. 
He was slated to ride in eight races on Oct 5. 
Mr Saifudin said he was very sad about racing in Singapore coming to an end. “I have to leave this place, and I’ve been here for so long – 30 years,” he said.
He hasn’t thought about what’s next in his career and will see how things go.
Several attendees whom CNA spoke to were at the races for the first time. 
The Singapore Turf Club gave out free tickets to the Grandstand Level 1 for its final race day, and 10,000 people were expected to attend. 
Tickets could be redeemed online or collected at the club in person. Online tickets were fully redeemed days after they were released.
Mr GS Wee, a 61-year-old retiree, said he got his ticket from a friend who is a horse trainer. 
“She kept inviting us to come, saying this is a historic moment, so we should come,” he said.
The farewell to Singapore Turf Club has been a long time coming. In June last year, authorities announced that the facility would close and the land would need to be returned to the government by 2027.
The 120 hectares of land could be used for housing, leisure or recreation, the authorities said at the time.
One old-time horse owner who declined to be named told CNA he was shocked that the government would shut a world-class facility.
“With all this 180 years of history, it’s a disgrace that they are closing it down,” he said, pointing to milestones of the club featured at the Heritage Walk near the entrance, where he spoke to CNA.
He said he signed a petition to ask the government to keep Singapore Turf Club running.
“(I want to ask) whether they can change their mind and carry on. That’s our plea,” said the horse owner who had horses at Bukit Timah Racecourse, the club’s previous home.
“It’s as good as Hong Kong,” he said. “Here (in Singapore), 180 years, they’ve destroyed.”
When the news broke, horse trainers and Singapore Turf Club employees told CNA that they were sad and shocked.
However, spectators at the first race after the Jun 5 announcement last year said attendance had dwindled over the years and fewer young people were interested in the sport.
The average attendance per race day declined from 11,000 in 2010 to 6,000 in 2019.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance was even lower at 2,600 per race day.
Singapore Turf Club’s head of tracks, Mr R Jayaraju, said he was proud to be part of the club and the committee organising the final race on Saturday. 
“I definitely will miss Singapore racing,” he said, adding that emotions will run high. He was, however, excited that his family came to watch the race.
He will stay with the club until it closes in 2027, when he will have to find another job.
“I want to stick with racing. This is what I’ve learned for the past 25 years and I think I should tap on my talent and share this with the rest of the world,” said Mr Jayaraju. “If there’s a call from overseas, I think I’ll take it.”
The club was founded in 1842, and was known as the Singapore Sporting Club until 1924 when it took on its current name.
Back then, it was located in Farrer Park – and that’s where it held the first Singapore Gold Cup in 1924.
Singapore Turf Club later sold its first racecourse and moved to Bukit Timah. 
The Bukit Timah Racecourse was officially opened by Sir Cecil Clementi – the governor of Singapore – on Apr 15, 1933.
When Queen Elizabeth made a state visit to Singapore in 1972, she visited the Turf Club, and a special race was held in her honour.
The racecourse was also used for a concert when rock star Rod Stewart came to Singapore in 1995.
The club moved to Kranji in 1999, and community recovery facilities for foreign workers recovering from COVID-19 were constructed on the premises during the pandemic, when racing was suspended.
Races resumed in July 2020, but spectators were only allowed to return in April 2022.