Singapore Turf Club to close by March 2027, Govt to redevelop Kranji site for housing, other uses; 350 jobs affected

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Turf Club will close its facility in Kranji by March 2027 and the site will be redeveloped by the Government to “better meet” future land use needs, including for public housing, leisure and recreation.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of National Development (MND) announced this in a joint statement on Monday (June 5).

About 350 employees are expected to be affected by the closure.

The final race meeting will be held on Oct 5 next year for the 100th Grand Singapore Gold Cup.

The ministries said that the Government continually reviews its land use plans to meet today’s needs while ensuring there is sufficient land for future generations.

Horse-racing spectatorship here has also declined over the years, they added.

Speaking to the media during a press conference on Monday (June 5), Ms Indranee Rajah, Second Minister for Finance and National Development, said that the average attendance at each horse race has fallen significantly over the years. 

Between 2010 and 2019, the average attendance declined from 11,000 to 6,000 each race day.

"With the reopening of the race course in 2022, average attendance was around 2,600 per race day, which was half of pre-Covid levels," Ms Indranee added.

This drop in horse racing spectatorship is not unique to Singapore, with other countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States witnessing similar declines. 

"So we felt that given these two factors — our need for land as well as the trajectory of horse racing, it would be best to take back the Singapore Turf Club," Ms Indranee said.

She added that this was "not an easy decision, but necessary". 

The Singapore Racecourse site, spanning about 120 hectares, will be redeveloped to allow the land to be “holistically master-planned” to better meet future land use needs.

This is in addition to other major plans for Singapore’s northern region, including the redevelopment of Woodlands Checkpoint, enhancing Woodlands Town under the Remaking Our Heartland programme, and master-planning Lim Chu Kang into a high-tech agri-food cluster.

The site will be used for public housing, while other potential uses are also being studied, such as for leisure and recreation.

“MND will take into consideration the needs and requirements of various equestrian entities that intend to continue operating in Singapore, including compatibility with other land uses being considered for the area,” the ministry said.

It will also provide timely update on the land use plans after the necessary assessments and studies have been completed.

The land will be returned to the Government in 2027 to allow for land preparation and redevelopment.

Ms Indranee said that "there will be a number of things" happening between the last race in 2024 and 2027.

The exportation of the horses is expected to be completed by 2026.

There will also be assessments and studies on how to redevelop the area. 

"Once the land comes back to the Government, the Government will have to do the site preparation and make sure that the land is prepared for any new development," she said. 

Singapore Turf Club’s chairman Niam Chiang Meng said that the team is saddened by the decision to close the club, but understands the land needs of Singapore.

“We will do our best to ensure business is as usual for the club until the final race meeting.

“Concurrently, we will work with our stakeholders to ensure a smooth exit for local horse racing and make the necessary preparations for the estate to be handed over to the Government by March 2027,” he added.

Leading up to the closure, MOF and MND will work with Tote Board and the club, together with other stakeholders and agencies, to ensure their respective needs are addressed during the transition period.

Singapore Turf Club’s employees will be supported during the winding-down exercise, with the first phase of retrenchment starting around 16 months from Monday's announcement.

Employees will receive retrenchment packages aligned with the Ministry of Manpower’s regulatory requirements and guidelines, taking into consideration factors such as length of service.

They will also be provided with other means of support, including counselling, help with job placement, personal career guidance and skills training courses to enable them to gain new employment, the ministries said.

In response to TODAY's queries, Mr Niam said that employees of the Turf Club are represented by The Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union. 

On what kind of jobs the retrenched workers can move into, Mr Niam said that the company now has several groups of employees.

These include the racing group, which comprise analysts, judges and stewards, as well as the finance and corporate groups. 

He added that the Singapore Turf Club has hired a consultant to carry out personalised consulting to see what are the skills they can use for other types of emplacements. 

Singapore Turf Club’s president and chief executive officer Irene MK Lim said: “During this time, affected employees and those working within the horse-racing community will have ample time to consider their career options and manage their personal commitments.”

Racehorse trainers and owners will also receive support for horse maintenance and exportation.

For other tenant stakeholders, such as Singapore Turf Club tenants and livery horse owners, the club will continue its existing contractual obligations.

There are now about 700 racehorses at the club. 

Ms Lim said: “Singapore Turf Club is extremely proud to have been the home of horse racing for nearly two centuries. We are committed to seeing this phase of the nation’s history come to an end in a dignified manner, benefitting all our stakeholders including employees, jockeys, racehorse owners, trainers and the equestrian community and horses that have graced our grounds.”

On how the closure of the Turf Club will affect the Singapore Tote Board's profits, Mr Fong Yong Kian, its chief executive officer, said that it will have to wait and see what the impact is. 

"But suffice to say that over the years, in line with the decline in spectatorship, the turnover of horse wagering as a percentage of the total Tote Board Group turnover has also halved." 

However, Mr Fong said that the Tote Board's financials are "quite healthy" despite experiencing some impact from the decline in horse racing. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHARLENE GOH