Singapore Turf Club
The Singapore Turf Club was founded in 1842 as the Singapore Sporting Club to operate the Serangoon Road Race Course at Farrer Park Field. It is today the only horse-racing club in Singapore and is part of the Malayan Racing Association, which also regulates the three Turf Clubs in Malaysia, the Selangor Turf Club, Penang Turf Club and Perak Turf Club. The Singapore Turf Club is the only authorised operator of horse racing, and totalisator services in Singapore. It is the agent and proprietary club of the Tote Board, Singapore, who manages and directs its donation of surplus funds for charitable purposes. The first race was held on 23 February 1843 when prize money on offer was only $150. In 1924, the Club changed its name to the Singapore Turf Club.
The Club moved to Bukit Timah in 1933 before relocating to its present location at the Singapore Racecourse at Kranji in 1999. The racecourse is adjacent to Kranji MRT station.
Racing
Racing is staged all year round on almost every Friday and Sunday. Most of the 100-odd race meetings are restricted to locally trained horses, except for the two International races in May, the Singapore Airlines International Cup and the KrisFlyer International Sprint, and certain cross-border races open to Malaysian-based horses.Since there is no breeding industry in Singapore, all its thoroughbred bloodstock is imported from overseas, primarily from Australia and New Zealand, while a minority comes from other countries like Japan, England, Ireland, France, South Africa, America and Germany.
Horse owners, made up of both Singaporeans and foreigners, purchase horses and send them to any of the 26 trainers currently licensed at Kranji. Currently, there are 14 expatriates and 12 local trainers.
The pool of jockeys available consists mainly of locally trained jockeys and apprentices all licensed by the MRA and around 10 expatriate jockeys, whose licences are granted by the Singapore Turf Club over a specific period of time. All licences are subject to renewal depending on performances and conduct.
Major Races
Singapore Airlines International Cup and KrisFlyer International Sprint
The S$3 million Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup, was first held in 2000 in conjunction with the opening of the Singapore Racecourse at Kranji. It is held in May, coupled with its sister sprint race, the S$1 million Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint run over 1200 metres.Both events are part of the Singapore International Racing Festival, which is attended by some of the world's top owners, jockeys and trainers, and are International Group 1 races open to horses from around the world. In 2011, the KrisFlyer became the fourth leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.
Singapore Gold Cup
The Singapore Gold Cup is considered as the most prestigious race on the Singapore racing calendar and is traditionally held at the end of November. Contested on turf, the domestic Group 1 handicap race is run over a distance of 2200 metres and is open to horses aged three and older.The Singapore Gold Cup is the third leg of the Singapore Triple Crown, after the Kranji Mile and the Raffles Cup.
First run in 1924 at the Serangoon Road Race Course at Farrer Park, the race's first winner was Thelasocrete, winning $1,600 as prize money.
In history of the handicap race, trainer Ivan Allan holds the record for the most successes, having saddled up the winner on nine occasions. Jerry Sung, owner of Auric Stables, as an owner, won the Cup five times.
In 1958, Abdul Mawi became the first local jockey to win the Gold Cup. In 2008, El Dorado became the first Japanese-bred horse trained in Singapore to win the Gold Cup and he then doubled the feat by landing the race the next year, to become the first horse to do so since Grenadier in 1965 and 1966.
To mark its move from Bukit Timah to Kranji in 1999, the Singapore Turf Club raised the prize money to $1 million and opened the race to international contenders, but the race returned to domestic status three years later. The prize money for the Group 1 event has since been raised to $1.35 million.
In 2010-2015, Swiss watchmaker Longines became the official partner and timekeeper of the Singapore Turf Club, and the race was renamed “Longines Singapore Gold Cup”.
In 2016, the Singapore Gold Cup was renamed to "Dester Singapore Gold Cup" with a new sponsor, Lubritrade Distribution. Lubritrade owns the premium beer brand, Dester 100% Malt.
Singapore Derby
The Emirates Singapore Derby is held every mid-July. This race is staged on turf and is contested over 2000 metres. The race is open to four-year-old racehorses only and carries a prize pool of $1 million.The race was known as the Singapore Derby until 1995, when Dubai-based Emirates Airlines embarked with a partnership with Singapore Turf Club.
Inaugurated in 1880 at the Serangoon Road Race Course in Farrer Park, it was regularly conducted there until 1910 when it was cancelled. It was not until 1959 that the Singapore Derby was resurrected by the Singapore Turf Club. Since then it has been staged at the Bukit Timah Racecourse until 1999 when the Club relocated the Singapore Racecourse at Kranji.
Since its inception the race has been contested over various distances close to 2400 metres until 1998 when the distance was set at 2000 metres.
Trainer Ivan Allan has won the Derby nine times, a record which may never be surpassed. The Auric Stable has registered the most wins in the Derby – five times in 1970, 1975, 1990, 1995 and 1996, while Australian jockey Johnny Wilson holds the record of most wins with three.
November Sun, Feu Vert and Courtline Jester are the only horses to have won the Derby twice.
The Singapore Derby is now the third Leg of the Singapore Four-Year Challenge after the Stewards’ Cup and the Patron's Bowl. Japanese mare Jolie's Shinju is the last horse to have won all three Legs, though the first two Legs were then slated as the Patron's Bowl and the Singapore Derby Trial.
Lion City Cup
The Lion City Cup was launched in 1974 and is widely considered Singapore's premier domestic sprint race. It is held in April. The domestic Group 1 race is run over a distance of 1200 metres and is open to horses aged three and older.War Plan's Cup win in 1990 was beamed "live" to Hong Kong and in turn local racegoers were treated to a telecast of the Hong Kong Derby.
At its new home at Kranji, Superb Effect scored consecutive wins in 2000 and 2001. It was then the turn of another Charles Leck-trained sprinter Classic Marco who took the honours in 2002. Que Expresion became the first Argentinian-bred horse to win the Cup in 2003.
Singapore's sprinter Rocket Man holds the record of most wins. His name was added to the roll of honour four times with wins recorded consecutively from 2009 to 2012.
Raffles Cup
The Raffles Cup is the second Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown Challenge and is normally held in October at Kranji. Run on turf over 1800m, the domestic Group 1 race is open to horses aged three years old and older.Named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, the Raffles Cup was first run in 1991 at the old Bukit Timah Race Course with its distance first pegged at 1600m before it was raised to 1800m in 2001.
Though it has only a relatively short history, many top gallopers have inscribed their names to the Raffles Cup roll of honour. The most notable horses include Ouzo, Smart Bet, Zirna and most recently Better Than Ever.
Trainer Teh Choon Beng boasts the highest rate of success in the Raffles Cup having won the race four times in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1995. Jockeys Kim Clapperton and Saimee Jumaat are joint leaders with three wins apiece.
Betting
All wagering on both Singapore and simulcast races is operated and administered by the Singapore Turf Club on behalf of the Singapore Totalisator Board, using an electronic Pari-Mutuel system.Bets can be placed through the following manners:
- Betting counters at the Singapore Turf Club Racecourse at Kranji on raceways.
- Betting counters at nine Off Course Betting Centres and four Off Course Betting Outlets
- Singapore Pools Branches
- Self-Betting Kiosks
- Telebet account holders using TeleTote, MobileTote, Electronic Fund Transfer and AXS, Winners’ Touch System or calling directly via Operator-Assisted Betting.
Singapore Turf Club also takes part in commingling. Commingling of pools is the process where one totalisator organisation combines its wagering pool with another to create one common dividend. In January 2009, the Singapore Totalisator pool combined with Tabcorp Australia's Victorian pool.
Events and Entertainment
The Open Day "Fun For All Under The Stars" invites people under 18 years of age to experience the world of horse racing. Barrier trials are held and no wagering is offered on such nights.Other regularly held events that fall outside the main business core of horse racing include the Singapore Symphony Orchestra concerts, Ladies’ Night and Horseshoe Pitching contest, among others. The venue also rents for corporate functions and other events.
Facilities
Training amenities at the Kranji Racecourse include a swimming pool, treadmills, horse walkers and a total of seven tracks of both turf, synthetic tracks as well as sand. The latest addition to the tracks was a 1000m long uphill track completed in February 2010. Taking into account Singapore's wet weather, all tracks utilise an underground drainage network which minimises waterlogging by draining off the rainwater to maintain a safe racing surface at all times.The club also operates an equine hospital, the Singapore Turf Club Veterinary Hospital. The hospital was renovated in 2013.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
The Singapore Turf Club is a non-profit organisation and any surplus revenue is donated to charitable organisations..The current adopted charity is Melrose Home and past charities that the Club has adopted include Club Rainbow and Thye Hua Kwan EIPIC Centre @ Woodlands.