This story was first published at the MyStory portal. An initiative by the Public Education Division of the National Heritage Board, the portal encourages Singaporeans to upload and share (1) images and (2) memories and stories from the past.

Amidst the excitement about F1 racing in Singapore, perhaps there was similar enthusiasm when the first race course was built in on the island. In 1842, some racing enthusiasts founded The Singapore Sporting Club, which was sited at the old Race Course (now Farrer Park). The racing steeds then were horses, not gleaming cars with plenty of horsepower under their hoods.

In the 1800s, on non-racing days, the grounds were used by grazing sheep and golfers. The turf was used for other purposes in the 1900s too. The race course saw the flight of the first plane over Singapore in 1911 and the centenary celebrations of Singapore’s founding in 1919.

In 1924, the club changed its name to the Singapore Turf Club, and moved to Bukit Timah in 1933.

The former Turf Club, now known as Turf City, can be a pretty quiet place to visit

Races stopped in the 1940s during the Japanese occupation. Buildings were converted into hospitals and stables into car-parks. After the war ended, it took two years to restore the facilities and racing started again in 1947.

As the crowds grew, so did the facilities. In 1981, the North Grandstand which cost $18 million was opened, thus allowing up to 50,000 people in the two stands.

On race days, the road outside the club was packed with traffic – cars, buses and everything in between. Thousands of people, clutching fistfuls of dreams, watched, shouted, jeered, cursed and cheered themselves hoarse in various tongues – mostly Chinese dialects – as horses and their riders jockeyed for positions. The punters, often working-class people and mostly male, usually went home empty-handed, with the betting slips they had clutched littering the grounds.

The Singapore Turf Club moved to its present site at Kranji in 1999. But the Bukit Timah site has not gone silent, though there are no more thundering of horse hoofs or yelling of hoarse punters.

Ever since horse racing moved to Kranji, people-power has replaced horse-power in Bukit Timah

What was formerly known as the Turf Club is now known as Turf City. Its grounds now include a retail mall, a car “emporium”, and food and beverage outlets. The adrenaline continues to pump at Bukit Timah, and not just from bargain hunters. On weekends, the grounds also come alive as people compete in baseball, football and even (radio-controlled) car racing.

On weekends, the grounds come to life as humans, rather than horses, compete with each other.

If there were horses here now, they might enjoy the sight of humans competing against each other on these grounds.

The author enjoys journeys to wide open spaces and into the past by bicycle. He rides around Singapore occasionally to “paint with light”, photographing scenes that may shed light on bits of the island’s past. This way, he can relive in future memories of the past even when what has been photographed has disappeared. After all, when things are gone, all we have left are memories which may dim with time - and photographs.

References

F1 Technical (undated), Formula 1 Engines. Retrieved 20 Aug 07 from http://www.f1technical.net/articles/4

Mediacorp (undated), Hang Outs. Retrieved 14 Aug 07 from http://www2.ch8.mediacorptv.com/goggles/watz_goggling_hangout(20022002).htm

Mediacorp (undated), Girl’s racy night out at glitzy Turf Club. Retrieved 14 Aug 07 from http://www2.mediacorp.com.sg/purplelips/life/articles/20001013_01.htm

Singapore Sights (undated), Singapore Turf Club – History of horse racing in Singapore. Retrieved 14 Aug 07 from http://www.singaporesights.com/virtual-tours/attractions/singapore-turf-club-3

Singapore Turf Club (undated), History of Our Racing. Retrieved 14 Aug 07 from http://www.turfclub.com.sg/ComeRacing/HistoryOfOurRacing/tabid/77/Default.aspx

Tan B (1998). Singapore Turf Club. Retrieved 14 Aug 07 from http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_136_2004-12-30.html

Turf City (undated), About Us. Retrieved 14 Aug 07 from http://turfcity.com.sg/c_aboutus.html