Horse Racing in Singapore
Competitive horse racing is the most ancient of human movement. Statistics show that Singapore is a country with the sixth highest percentage of foreigners in the world which sits at 42 percent. On the other hand, foreigners make up 50% of the service sector. It makes the sporting event like horse racing in the county into a national sport.
Singapore horse racing was born in the colonial times. The inaugural race was held in the country was known as the 'Singapore Cup', which took place in 1843.The Straits Racing Association (SRA) was formed in 1896 to operate and regulate the horse racing in Singapore and Malaysia, which was renamed as the Malayan Racing Association (MRA) in 1961. Malayan Racing Association is an association of four turf clubs which houses the Singapore Turf Cub. Along with this, there are three others are in Malaysia which include the Penang Turf Club, the Perak Turf Club and the Selangor Turf Club.
The names of the major racing events that take place in Singapore are the Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) for middle distance gallopers and the KrisFlyer International Sprint (1200m) for sprinters. Both these races take place on the same day, turning the entire city into a racing gala. Another big event of the year is the Singapore Race (2200m) which is held in November. The race forms the third leg of the Singapore Triple Crown, which is followed by the Kranji Mile and the Raffles Cup. The fourth one is the Singapore Derby (2000m) which is held in July for four-year-olds at set weights.
The Singapore Airlines International Cup is a flat horse which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. Its first edition was organized in the year 2000. It is held every year in May at the Kranji over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles). The Singapore Airlines International Cup was established as an international event at Kranji Racecourse in 2000. Since then, the Singapore Derby does not have an international status as a horse race which was why it has been restricted to domestic horses only. The event has been sponsored by the Singapore Airlines since its inception. It has total prize money of US$ $3 million.
The KrisFlyer International Sprint is a left-handed thoroughbred horse race held annually in the middle of May at the Kranji Racecourse in Singapore. This race is run over a distance of 1200 meters (6 furlongs) and is open to horses above the age of three years. It currently offers prize money of US $700,000.
The race is named after the title sponsor Singapore Airlines and it is run on the same day as the Singapore Airlines International Cup.
For the first time in 2001, the Kranji Racecourse hosted the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Sprint. It was held again in the following year as a Group 3 event. The event was not run again until 2008 and the race has continued since then.
The Singapore Gold Cup is a thoroughbred horse race. It is held annually at the end of November at the Kranji Racecourse in Singapore. This race was inaugurated in 1924. On this left-handed course, the race is run over a distance of 2200 meters (1.37 miles) and is open to domestic horses over the age of three years or older.
One of the premier and international level Racecourse in Singapore is the Kranji Racecourse in Kranji. It is also known as the Singapore Racecourse. It is a venue for Thoroughbred horse racing in Singapore. Built and operated by the Singapore Turf Club, it opened in 2000 as a modern replacement for the Bukit Timah Race Course. The official opening of the Singapore Racecourse was done by the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr S R Nathan. It has two tracks, Long track and a short track. This racecourse is run by the Singapore Turf Club.
The Kranji Racecourse hosts a number of important domestic races as well as two major international events in the shape of the Singapore Airlines International Cup and the KrisFlyer International Sprint. Some other notable races on this track include the Singapore Derby, Kranji Mile, Raffles Cup, Singapore Gold Cup, Lion City Cup, and Patrons’ Bowl.
A typical day meeting on the Kranji Racecourse will have anywhere between 9 to 12 races. The locals love their racing and the Singapore Turf Club is the only legalised gambling authority in Singapore. Horse racing betting philosophy is fascinating for the people of Singapore like all other countries in the world.
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