By Alan Carasso
Officials at the Singapore Turf Club have announced the reintroduction of two international races to their programme in 2019 in addition to an overall reduction in the number of races conducted annually and an adjustment in their prizemoney structure.
In September 2015, the S$3-million G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) and S$1-million G1 KrisFlyer International Sprint (1200m) were abruptly canceled, with STC officials saying that the races had “accomplished the objectives” that were set out when the races were created in 2000 and 2001, respectively. The two events had been dominated in recent years by Hong Kong shippers.
In 2019, the Kranji Mile, carrying prizemoney of S$3 million, will be pushed forward on the calendar and will be contested on the same program as the Lion City Cup (1200m), which will offer S$1.35 million. The races are tentatively scheduled for the third Sunday in May, occupying the former spot on the calendar as the SAI Cup and KrisFlyer Sprint.
Prizemoney at the top end of Singapore races will be adjusted “to favour and encourage quality.” The two richest domestic features, the S$1.35-million Singapore Gold Cup and S$1.15-million Emirates Singapore Derby will see no change, while domestic Group 1 and Group 2 events will feature purses of S$1 million and S$500,000, respectively. Class 5 horses will race for S$20,000, a decrease from the current S$35,000, while Restricted Maiden and Novice Races will be contested for S$85,000, up from S$75,000. Prizemoney changes will take effect Jan. 1, 2018.
A total of 800 races have been programmed for 2018, down from 900 in the current season. All horses will see their ratings bumped by five points, increasing the population in the higher classes while reducing the numbers in Class 5, allowing races of higher quality to be written. This re-weighting will take place at the conclusion of the current season.
Racing in Singapore will be capped at 2000m. The Gold Cup will revert to that distance, having been run at 2200m for the past several years, while the Derby will take place over 1800m instead of the metric 10 furlongs. The Raffles Cup and Chairman's Trophy will be contested now over 1600m, down from nine panels. The Raffles Cup becomes the first leg of the older horse Triple Crown, followed by the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m -> 1800m) while the Gold Cup will remain the final leg.
Mr Chong Boo Ching, President & Chief Executive, Singapore Turf Club said: “We are delighted to present the new racing initiatives that will commence from the 2018 racing season. We are optimistic that with these new initiatives, we will not only improve the quality of local racing but at the same time, increase international following for Singapore racing.”
Click here for Singapore's feature races for 2018.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
