In June 2023, it was announced that the Singapore Turf Club (STC) will cease operations in March 2027, and its final race will be on 5 October 2024. I am concerned about the staff and trainers who currently work for horse owners, and the athletes and other stakeholders in the equestrian sports community in view of this impending closure, and asked the Minister several questions in Parliament on 3 July 2023.
First, I asked the Minister for Finance how staff and trainers will be supported in re-training for other jobs.
Second, I asked whether the development of equestrian sports will be impacted and what assistance the government is extending to athletes and other stakeholders in the equestrian sports community.
And third, I asked if Singapore Turf Club employees, contractors and members of the public were consulted on these changes.
These were my full questions and the Minister’s answers:
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance with regard to the staff and trainers who currently work for horse owners but are not employed by the STC, whether they will be supported by the STC and other Government agencies in re-training for other jobs prior to the closure of STC.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) how will the development of equestrian sports in Singapore be impacted by the closure of the Singapore Turf Club (STC); and (b) what assistance is the Ministry extending to athletes and other stakeholders in this community in view of STC’s impending closure.
To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the land use for the Singapore Racecourse under the current URA Master Plan stipulated for sport and recreation has been revised to include use for housing including public housing; (b) if so, when was the revision made; (c) whether consultations were conducted with stakeholders and who were these stakeholders; and (d) whether the stakeholders included Singapore Turf Club employees, contractors and members of the public.
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Ms Indranee Rajah (Second Minister for Finance and National Development): The decision to close STC was not an easy decision, nor was it made lightly. Given Singapore’s small size and land constraints, the Government continually reviews our land use plans to meet present and future needs. At the same time, local horse racing has also experienced declining spectatorship over the years.
In developing our long-term land use strategies and plans, the Government has actively engaged the public to understand their needs and aspirations. These engagements have strongly affirmed that we need more land for housing, as well as a diversity of spaces for leisure and recreation, to provide a quality living environment for Singaporeans. With the demand for more land for housing and the declining spectatorship for local horse racing, the Government made the difficult decision to redevelop the STC site to better meet our future needs.
Mr Gerald Giam asked whether the use of the Singapore Racecourse site under the current Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Master Plan has been revised to include housing. At the Committee of Supply debate earlier this year, the Ministry of National Development (MND) announced that we have started on our Draft Master Plan review, which will take place over the next two to three years. The Government intends to update the revised land use for the site to include housing in the upcoming Master Plan.
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Ms Hany Soh, Mr Gerald Giam, Mr Sharael Taha and Mr Edward Chia, have asked what assistance will be given to workers affected by the cessation of horse racing. We will make every effort to assist and ease the transition for them.
There are two different groups of workers affected – those employed by STC and those employed by the trainers.
About 350 STC employees are affected. The STC employees will continue to be employed for at least the next 15 months up till October 2024, with some staying until closure in 2027. Upon cessation of their employment, they will receive retrenchment packages in line with the Minister of Manpower (MOM) guidelines. In addition, they will receive job placement assistance, career guidance, skills training and counselling so that they can find new jobs. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has also stepped in to offer support.
The horse trainers employ or engage about another 420 workers. While these are not STC employees, STC will nevertheless lean forward to work with their employers, the trainers, to provide support to these workers and ease their transition. The media had recently reported that some equestrian entities are prepared to offer them jobs. STC will also be extending employment facilitation, skills training and career counselling.
Members have also asked what will happen to the racehorses. There are approximately 700 racehorses. They will have to be rehomed once the races cease. In the meantime, STC has already rolled out support for racehorse owners and trainers for horse maintenance, as well as horse exportation and placement. STC is discussing with owners and trainers what additional support they may need to rehome their horses and will do its best to meet reasonable requests.
Some trainers have highlighted concerns that the owners might abandon their horses. I hope that this is indeed not the case and I would caution any owner against so doing. Owners have the responsibility to look after their horses. It would be an offence under the Animals and Birds Act to abandon their horses or fail to care appropriately for them. STC is committed to working with owners to manage their horses in a responsible manner, such as through rehoming, either overseas or in a stable in Singapore.
Members have also asked about the impact of the closure of STC on equestrian activities in Singapore. While horse racing will cease, other equestrian activities are not affected by STC’s closure. Sport Singapore engages regularly with the Equestrian Federation of Singapore which oversees our national team’s training. The STC’s closure does not affect our national equestrian team’s training, which is located at Jalan Mashhor.
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Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): I thank the Minister for her comprehensive replies. The Minister said that other Equestrian sports will not be affected. Is there currently any scheme to use retired racehorses for other equestrian sports and, if so, would this supply of horses not be constrained after the Singapore racecourse closes down, leading to higher costs for buying and importing horses for equestrian sports?
Ms Indranee Rajah: On the question of retired racehorses going to other equestrian sports, I think that may have to be directed to the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in terms of sports. But I just want to clarify something about these horses. These are racehorses and the majority of them would probably continue racing. So, the question is how to get them to places where they can continue to race. So, exportation would be one of the main strategies to deal with these horses. There are other countries — in fact, the exportation of horses does take place quite regularly.
I understand from STC that every month, there are actually a few. They may go to Malaysia, for example. I think some interest has been expressed in Malaysia in taking some of the racehorses from STC when it closes. Australia is another destination although, for Australia, they take in a smaller number.
So, I think the primary strategy for these racehorses would actually be exportation – to allow them to continue to race if their owners so choose. But obviously, this is a conversation that we are having with the owners to see what they would like to do with the horses. But bottom line, we will find homes for all the horses.
Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash