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As a result, horse racing is deemed prevalent in the country along with the lottery in online betting Singapore. Fortunately, it is a highly legal form of activity and watching an equestrian sport that is filled with action and thrill is a national pastime.
A brief history of horse racing in Singapore
Horse racing is a sport that is very popular among Commonwealth countries like the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Firstly introduced as a sport for the members of nobility, the sport eventually expanded its reach worldwide and was played in countries outside the Commonwealth nations.
The first place where the first horse race occurred in Singapore was held in the Race Course Road which eventually became a busy street in Little India. The Turf Club Road in Bukit Timah also became a street dedicated to the culture of SingaporePool equestrian sports. It is the street where the Singapore Turf Club was initially located.
The Singapore Turf Club
Before Singapore became a sovereign state, it was already plagued with illegal gambling activities that are operated by crime syndicates. To counter the growing illegal activities, the government established the Singapore Turf Club in 1942.
The club became the only club in Singapore that supervised the horse race events in the country. It also became the only legal gambling authority in SingaporePool. Singapore Turf Club was established to curb the illegal betting activities in the country and to encourage the locals to bet on a legal gambing activity.
Eventually, Singapore Turf Club passed all the horserace betting operations to the gambling body SingaporePool when it was established to solely focus on organising the horse race events themselves.
Eventual growth as a popular sport
The racing events on Sundays were first introduced in 1959 and any citizens of the country can attend these races in person for an entrance fee of $4. Prior to this, only the members of the club and the owners of horse races could attend the events exclusively.
The North Grandstand was constructed in 1981 and it costs $18 million with a seating capacity of 50,000 people. More racecourses were included after that with some having established remote connections with racecourses in Malaysia so that the citizens can watch the Singapore races live at SingaporePool.
The Kranji Race Track
The headquarters of STC was relocated from Bukit Timah into a different location. It was reported at that time that a new race course was constructed in Kranji in 1996 with an area of 81.2 hectares. The Kranji Racecourse was opened in March 2000 and it was deemed as the most modern race track in Asia.
The Kranji Racecourse boasts itself having state-of-the-art facilities which includes a five-storey grandstand that has a seating capacity of 30,000. The stabling complexes are fully air-conditioned and can hold up to 1,600 horses. In March 2012, a modern veterinary clinic was opened to ensure that only the best veterinary care will be provided to the racing horses.
The storeys are of different seating levels with the highest one being fully air-conditioned and exclusively for SingaporePool Corporate Box ticket-holders.
Conclusion
The popularity of Singapore horse racing results in the country is evident in the multiple racecourse operating in the country and the international horseracing events being hosted by Singapore.
Along with lottery, horserace betting has been established as one of the foundations of the culture of Singapore. Today, it is one of the highly successful industries in the country with an annual revenue of $16 million.