Nearly two centuries of history to end as Singapore’s Turf Club closes to release land for homes

More than 180 years of horse racing in Singapore will soon come to an end, as the “land scarce” city state closes its only racecourse to make space for public housing.

The chairman of the Singapore Turf Club, Niam Chiang Meng, said the club was saddened by the decision, but that it also understood the 120-hectare (300-acre) site was a valuable resource: “This transition will serve to optimise land use for the greater good of the local community and future generations.”

The final race meeting will take place on 5 October 2024, when the club holds its 100th Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The site will then be handed back to the government in 2027 for redevelopment.

The ministries of finance and national development said in a joint statement that Singapore is a city-state with limited land. “The government continually reviews its land use plans to meet today’s needs while ensuring there is sufficient land for future generations,” it said.

The number of attenders watching local horse racing had declined over the years, the ministries’ statement added.

Singapore Turf Club was founded in 1842 by the Scottish merchant William Henry Macleod Read and other horse racing fans, and was then known as the Singapore Sporting Club. As the sport grew in popularity, it moved to a larger venue, Bukit Timah in western Singapore, and later to its current site, Kranji, in northwestern Singapore, which can seat 30,000 racegoers. Over more than 180 years, the course has drawn in “royalty, celebrities, racing fans and the curious from around the world”, the club said in a statement.

The government said the site would be used for housing, including public housing, and that other potential uses, such as leisure and recreation, were also being considered.

Prices across Singapore’s property market are rising rapidly. More than 80% of Singaporeans own their own homes due to a public housing system that sells government-built flats to citizens at a subsidised price. However, demand for such apartments is high. Rising prices are down to an increase in immigration, a trend of young Singaporeans who prefer not to move away from their family home, a limited stock of rental properties and delays to house construction.