Singapore has decided to end its famous sport of horse racing – practised for more than 180 years – 2024 when the city-state’s only racecourse will close and be redeveloped for housing.
The Singapore Turf Club (STC) in Kranji will hold its last race meeting, the 100th Grand Singapore Gold Cup, on October 5, 2024 and end operations in March 2027, handing over the 120-hectare site to the government.
Located at Farrer Park in central Singapore, the STC was established by Scottish merchant William Henry Macleod Read in 1842. It moved to a larger venue, Bukit Timah in the western part of the island, as the race grew in popularity. In 1999, the STC relocated to Kranji in northwestern Singapore. The current racecourse has a five-storey grandstand with capacity for 30,000 spectators.
The government has announced that racehorse owners and trainers will be offered support for horse maintenance and exportation. News reports say that the club has about 700 racehorses and 38 livery horses for personal use. The racecourse site will be used for housing, including public housing, with other potential uses including leisure and recreation that are under consideration.
