Horse Racing News
Racing in Singapore
Racing in Singapore dates back to the time when the British colonials were settling, and the Singapore races remained the only legalised form of gambling once Singapore restored their independence.
To this day the Singapore races hold a great draw for not only the locals but for the international racing scene, with many online bookmakers offering people the chance to bet on the meetings held most weekends starting on Fridays and carrying through to Sunday evening, with races also being held some Wednesdays.
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The main club behind the Singapore races is the Singapore Turf club housed at Singapore Race Course in Kranji.
Singapore Race Club
The Singapore race club was established in 1842 and is not only the club behind the Singapore races, it is the only licensed racing club in the whole of Singapore.
The club held the first ever Singapore races event in 1843 with a grand total of $150 on offer. The Singapore races were held at the Serangoon Road Race Course until 1933 when the Singapore Race Club moved to Bukit Timah, where it remained until 1999 when it moved to the new racecourse at Kranji.
The Singapore races are not the only horse racing events to be hosted by the club, who regularly broadcast races from across the globe. Giving people a chance to place online bets from the familiar surrounding of their own track.
The best-known Singapore races over the season are the Singapore Airlines International Cup and its sister sprint the KrisFlyer International Sprint.
Singapore Race Course at Kranji
This state of the art racecourse was opened in 2000 at a total cost of $550 million Singapore Dollars, meaning that the Singapore races will have a happy home for the foreseeable future.
There are three separate courses at Kranji, two turf tracks which host 2000m and 1800m events and also a sand based track which at 1500m is not only used for racing by for gallops and slow walks.
The Singapore races are in good hands at this prestigious course, which has actually been awarded none other than the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for its great design.
The course holds great appeal for fans around the globe by hosting two of the most attractive races on the international calendar,
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Singapore Airlines International Cup
His race was created to celebrate the opening of the new racecourse at Kranji, and over the nine years of its existence it has been won by a total of 3 European horses, including the French winner Gloria de Campeao in 2009, and has only once been won by a horse from Singapore, which serves as a testament to the interest that the Singapore races gather from the international racing scene.
The race is held over 2000-meters and on the new course, which is cambered well for the home turns and a slight incline when the horses hit the 400-meter final home straight. This flat Singapore race is open to horses aged 3 and over.
This is the highest rewarded of the Singapore races with a grand total of $3 million dollars up for grabs. It is the highlight of the Singapore race season, and it destined to continue drawing in the punters online for years to come.
KrisFlyer International Sprint
The other flagship of the Singapore race season, the International Sprint held over only 1200 meters, it is a handicapped race with distinctions made for not only sex but also based on which hemisphere the horse is from. This turf race is run on a left hand course and only open to horses aged 3 and over.
The first ever winner of this Singapore race, which was on hiatus from between 2002 and 2008 was the French horse Iron Mask.
This Singapore race is named after the frequent flyer program of the head sponsors and namesake of the large race the Singapore Airlines International Cup.
With a purse of $1 million dollars to the winner, it is no surprise that this is one of the races that never fails to draw in the punters from around the world, and the continued growth of online wagering serves to ensure that this race will become a firm fixture of the Singapore racing calendar.
Conclusions
While the Singapore races are not as large as popular as the races of Australia, but with the continued surge in popularity of online betting, it is fairly safe to say the Singapore races will continue to grow.
There are 27 races held over the course of the season including the 1200-meter Lion City Cup and the 2000-m Singapore Derby which held international status until it lost its international standings and became restricted to home reared horses only, yet with the continued rise of internet betting, who knows how long it will take before all of the Singapore races are held in equally high regard with the Australian public as their own racing season.
