ALL SET FOR THE FINAL RACE

Singapore Turf Club at Kranji reaches its last golden lap

- Michael Lee

Sixteen months have flown by since the local horse racing fraternity was rocked by news of the Singapore Turf Club's (STC) impending closure, and like a thief in the night, the dreaded date of Oct 5 has sneaked up on everyone at Kranji with the 100th Grand Singapore Gold Cup as its epilogue.

One of the first things that sprang to the minds of trainers and owners when they heard the shocking news on June 5, 2023 was the fate of the 700 horses.

When told that racing would continue till Oct 5, 2024 - the land will be returned to the Government by March 2027 - some were up in arms, while others were undecided on how to proceed.

Some thought it was unrealistic for racing to continue within such a tight deadline and hoped for an extension by another two to three years.

Others thought the place would implode before Oct 5 after an exodus of both humans and equines. Fielding runners in the next 68 meetings would be a logistical nightmare, they said.

Even if the close-knit racing family put their heads together and pulled it off, post-closure animal welfare remained a thorny issue.

With limited quarantine centres in Malaysia - the destination of choice for Kranji-based horses in normal times - and a cap of eight horses that could be flown to Australia monthly based on their veterinary protocols, a horse traffic bottleneck was feared.

But against all odds and doubters, the club has held the fort, and so have the last 16 (including six expatriates) trainers standing from the original 22, and their steadfast owners.

Staying the course felt to many like those gruelling staying races you can only win by dint of hard work.

Prominent owner Eric Koh and former STC steward knows this first-hand. The business entrepreneur was one of the driving forces behind the tripartite roundtable discussions with the club and the Government, working tirelessly to save racing.