this is sg, cannot make money, bye bye. the rest like culture, history, identity is not important. $$$ is

SINGAPORE – With the shutters to come down on the Singapore Turf Club (STC), about 10,000 racegoers turned up at the Kranji facility for one last hurrah on Oct 5. Home of Singapore horse racing since 1842, the STC marked the end of its 182-year chapter in local history with a grand farewell featuring 10 races – culminating in the $1.38 million Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The 124ha land will be returned to the Government by March 2027 and is set to make way for housing and other developments. All the free admission tickets to Grandstand Level 1 at the Turf Club were snapped up online, and a limited number of free Grandstand Level 1 tickets were available for on-site redemption on Sept 21 and 28, and Oct 5. At 9.30am, 30 minutes before the doors opened, a queue of about 100 people had gathered to try to secure tickets and entry into the venue. Among them were office worker Michelle Tan and her mother, two of the first few people in the queue.   The 26-year-old has been riding horses – her steeds are mainly former race horses – for the past three years, and wanted to witness the final races here.   She said: “(There is) over 180 years of horse racing culture in Singapore; it is a shame that it is just ending like that. “I love horses myself. I do ride also, so I just wanted to be part of this iconic moment, to see it for the last time and be able to tell the future generations that this kind of culture used to exist because the younger generation will be deprived of this opportunity.” Guests and members of the public viewing the race horses in the parade ring at the Singapore Turf Club on Oct 5. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI People of all ages filled the Kranji facility on its final day to explore the premises and capture memories as they snapped photos around the venue.   For some, like boilerman Tan Hock Leng, 58, being at the STC brought back fond memories. A love for horses was what got him started on watching racing more than 20 years ago, but it had been two decades since he last visited the venue. He said: “There is no choice. We have to find other forms of entertainment. It is refreshing to be back, it hasn’t changed much – there are all the same displays, decor (as 20 years ago), so it is very sad that it is closing now.” A race gets under way at the Singapore Turf Club on Oct 5. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG When the racing got under way, spectators armed with umbrellas and caps to shield themselves from the sun lined the fence along the periphery of the track to catch the action up close. Indonesian businessman Allen Santoso, who does not usually attend horse races, flew in from Surabaya for four days just to catch the last race at the STC. Unable to secure tickets online, the 42-year-old joined the queue just after 9am in a bid to gain entry. He said: “It is a historic event, maybe I will make some bets. It has been part of the culture in Singapore and it is the last day, so I wanted to be part of a little history of this place.” People queueing to enter the Singapore Turf Club outside Kranji MRT station at 9.05am on Oct 5. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI STC’s closure will bring the curtain down on Singapore’s horse racing scene. Horse racing was introduced to Singapore more than 180 years ago by Scottish merchant William Henry Macleod Read, who founded the Singapore Sporting Club, which was later renamed the Singapore Turf Club in 1924. To accommodate the growing interest in racing, the STC sold its Serangoon Road racecourse and built a new facility in Bukit Timah in 1933, before it finally moved to Kranji in 1999. Over the years, it has hosted dignitaries including the late Queen Elizabeth II, as well as events such as the Youth Olympic Games. Horse exportation will begin following the last race on Oct 5 and be completed by March 2026, along with preparations for the estate to be handed over. There are currently 240 race horses at the club, down from the initial population of 700. Horse racing trophies on display at the Singapore Turf Club on Oct 5, 2024. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI The Heritage Walk and Capturing Our Beauty photo exhibition at the Singapore Turf Club on Oct 5. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Commemorating the club’s history, each race focused on a particular period of the club, honouring its heritage across different eras. Races were named after notable figures in the Republic’s horse racing scene, like jockeys Abdul Mawi and Magdalene Tan, the first winner of the Singapore Gold Cup and first local female jockey, respectively. Ms Irene M.K. Lim, STC’s president and chief executive, said: “Today, we celebrated Singapore’s 182-year horse racing heritage and, most importantly, the dedicated employees who built Singapore Turf Club’s legacy. Their passion and commitment have shaped this historic moment. “It is a proud and fitting tribute to honour them as we create lasting memories with the people of Singapore. May the spirit of this legacy inspire generations to come.” Jockeys competing in race nine on the final day at the Singapore Turf Club on Oct 5. ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA The STC, which will close in 2027, has left an indelible mark on some of its employees, including head of track R. Jayaraju, who has been with the club for 25 years. Like many of his colleagues, Mr Jayaraju had mixed feelings on Oct 5. He said: “We feel very proud of STC and being part of the organising committee to showcase our final chapter in horse racing. “We will definitely miss Singapore racing, especially since I have been involved in it for the past 25 years.”

JOHOR BAHRU – Mr Chan Wah Heng decided to step away from his usual spot at the cash register and could be heard calling out to potential patrons to stop for brunch at his bak kut teh and seafood joint on Oct 5. The owner of Wah Heng Bak Kut Teh, located next to the popular shopping mall KSL City in Johor Bahru, had felt something was amiss throughout the week as his restaurant was quieter, with fewer meals served. “It was really weird. The week was so quiet,” Mr Chan, 60, told The Straits Times. He has since realised that the slump in footfall was caused by fewer Singaporeans driving into JB after the new Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) rule kicked in on Oct 1. Many Singaporeans had avoided entering Malaysia via the two land crossings over the last few days, with 20 per cent fewer vehicles entering from Singapore on Oct 1, The Star newspaper quoted a Home Ministry official as saying. The good news is that Malaysia has delayed the strict implementation of the VEP regulation as the authorities rush to ensure that more owners of Singapore-registered vehicles get their permits, issuing errant drivers with only a written warning to do so. “The authorities already said that they won’t issue any fines, so more must be done to tell them (Singaporeans) to not worry too much,” Mr Chan said, adding that 70 per cent of his customers are Singaporean.   Mr Chan Wah Heng, owner of Wah Heng Bak Kut Teh, said there was a drop in footfall at his restaurant throughout the week. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA The VEP, which comes with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, allows the Malaysian authorities to identify foreign-registered vehicles, enabling them to track traffic offences and outstanding summonses.     Some 20 shopkeepers and mall visitors in JB whom ST spoke to between Oct 3 and 5 said there had been a noticeable drop in footfall over the last few days. Ms Mei Wong, 30, a retail manager selling travel luggage in KSL City mall, said she was also feeling the pinch. She had sold only one set of wheeled suitcases by noon on Oct 5, compared with selling about 30 pieces of luggage daily in the previous week. “At this rate, it’s tough to reach break-even on the rent,” she said. Her company had rented a large space on the ground floor of the mall until November.   Quieter crowds at popular shopping district near KSL City Mall in downtown Johor Bahru. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA SSI Maju Express car wash worker Muhammad Rabin said he is worried that he may not get his usual daily wages at the end of Oct 5. His team of three men had managed to secure only one client in the lot behind KSL City, and the clock was quickly ticking towards noon. “We need to hit about 30 cars a day to get our salary plus commission of about RM60 (S$18.50),” said the 26-year-old. Interviews with business owners and visitors at several shopping districts popular with Singaporeans found that some of the crowd appeared to have returned, but shopkeepers say the vibe on Oct 4 was significantly quieter than in previous pre-weekend evenings. Car wash workers waiting for business amid quieter crowds near KSL City Mall in downtown Johor Bahru. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA Stall operators at Pasar Karat, a night flea market, said they have suffered a 30 to 40 per cent plunge in sales since Oct 1. When asked if he knew about the VEP rules, clothes seller Faizal Abdullah said: “Maybe that’s why it’s been weirdly quiet.” A waiter at Made on Monday, a late-night cafe some 5km from the city centre in Jalan Abdul Samad 1, said that the empty tables on Oct 4 evening was “extremely unusual”. Singaporeans, he said, tend to come in waves from 9pm, and they would queue to get a seat to enjoy coffee and Italian food, and to smoke shisha, flavoured tobacco smoked through a pipe. Stall operators at Pasar Karat, a night flea market, said they have suffered a 30 to 40 per cent plunge in sales since Oct 1. ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA On Oct 5 evening, live camera feed of the Causeway and Second Link in Tuas from the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) One Motoring website showed a long line of vehicles queueing up to enter JB. But it still looked to be shorter than the snaking lines often seen on weekends. Checks using the Beat The Jam app showed the average waiting time at the Causeway was around 50 minutes throughout the morning from 7am. The average waiting time was still 50 minutes at around 6pm. Several Singapore shoppers told ST on Oct 5 said they felt that the visitors from the Republic were back in full force. At Jalan Dhoby, a street known for its traditional bakeries, long queues were seen at coffee shops and cafes at around 9am. A 23-year-old Singaporean aviation worker, who wanted to be known only as Ms Chua, said Jalan Dhoby was quite packed and it was hard to book a Grab ride out of the area. Asked about his view on whether the VEP would deter Singaporeans from entering JB, businessman Lee Wan Choy, 66, said: “Things will eventually square out to be the same as before. And this thing will stabilise sooner or later.” When the same question was posed to Mr Hazeem Esman, 27, a social development officer from Singapore, he said: “I think Singaporeans will still come to Johor with or without the VEP. Nothing replaces the many choices of things to do and buy here.” More On This Topic We drove into JB on the first day of Malaysia’s VEP roll-out. Here’s what we experienced S’porean drivers on VEP quest worried over lack of clarity on warning for entering JB without tags Meanwhile, queues at the TCsens VEP collection centre in Danga Bay showed no signs of easing when ST visited the area on Oct 4. Singaporean motorists were coming in with technical issues, including needing to replace their RFID tags and deregister an existing tag. Mr Saifuddin Zahir, an outdoor adventure consultant, said he queued from 9.30am to around 5.30pm to get his tag replaced. He said the tag which he received by post on the first week of September and fixed on the headlight himself could not be read at the immigration booth. “It’s quite disappointing for us because the application and registration process was fairly smooth, but at the last stage, when we finally receive the tag and installed it, the message displayed at the checkpoint counter said it can’t be read. Now, it’s almost back to square one because we need to deregister the current tag and get a new one again.”