S'pore racing suspension continues

All race meetings off until June 30 in alignment with phased approach to resumption of activities

Singapore racing will continue to be suspended due to the coronavirus situation.

The Singapore Turf Club (STC) said yesterday that, in alignment with the Government's phased approach to the resumption of activities safely after the circuit breaker ends on June 1, all race meetings will continue to be suspended until June 30.

The STC said it would continue to evaluate and adapt its business operations in line with prevailing advisories from the Multi-Ministry Taskforce and relevant agencies.

"The safety and well-being of visitors and the horse racing community remains the club's top priority as we take precautionary measures to reduce the spread of the virus," it said.

The two Group 3 races scheduled for next month will be cancelled. They are the Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint and the Committee's Prize scheduled for June 13 and 28 respectively.

The STC said that "feature races that fall within the suspension period will be cancelled except for Group 1 races".

So far, three major events will be rescheduled - the Group 1 Singapore Derby, Group 1 Lion City Cup and the International Group3 Kranji Mile, which is Singapore's richest race with $1.5 million in prize money.

In light of Covid-19, the Kranji Mile will be closed to international participation this year. Only Singapore-based horses are eligible.

Singapore held its last race meeting on April 3.

Racing was then suspended, initially until May 4, with stricter measures taken to stem the spike in coronavirus cases.

The new measures included the shutting down of most work places, except those providing essential services, and schools as part of a month-long circuit breaker.

The circuit breaker was extended to June 1.