Singapore bids farewell to 182-year-old horse racing tradition

Singapore: Land-scarce Singapore bade farewell to a 182-year-old British-era tradition of horse racing on Saturday, as the iconic racecourse closed its doors to make way for housing and other development projects Thousands of racegoers turned out at the Kranji facility for one last hurrah on October 5, ahead of the closure of the Singapore Turf Club (STC), The Straits Times reported.

Home of Singapore horse racing since 1842, the STC marked the end of its 182-year chapter in local history with a grand farewell featuring 10 races, culminating in the SGD 1.38 million Grand Singapore Gold Cup.

The 124-hectare land will be returned to the government by March 2027 and is set to make way for housing and other development.

The organisers earlier shared that about 10,000 guests, racegoers and members of the public were expected for the event on Oct 5.

Horse racing was introduced to Singapore over 180 years ago by Scottish merchant William Henry Macleod Read, who founded the Singapore Sporting Club which was later renamed to STC in 1924.

To accommodate the growing interest in racing, the STC sold its Serangoon Road (Farrer Park) racecourse and built a new facility in Bukit Timah in 1933, before it finally moved to Kranji in 1999. The Bukit Timah Racecourse was officially opened by Sir Cecil Clementi – the governor of Singapore – on Apr 15, 1933.

Over the years, it has hosted dignitaries, including late Queen Elizabeth II, as well as events such as the Youth Olympic Games.

STC has left an indelible mark on some of its employees, including head of track R Jayaraju, an Indian origin who has been with the club for 25 years, The Straits Times report said.

Like many of his colleagues, Jayaraju has mixed feelings on Saturday. He said: “We feel very proud of STC and being part of the organising committee to showcase our final chapter in horse racing. We’ll definitely miss Singapore racing, especially since I’ve been involved in it for the past 25 years.”