The origins of the first racecourse for horses in Singapore can be traced to the founding of the Singapore Sporting Club by a group of European racing enthusiasts in 1842. Located at what is today Farrer Park, the swampy land was cleared using Indian convict labour. The inaugural official racing event held at the tracks was the Singapore Cup, which premiered with much fanfare in 1843. Initially a social gathering point exclusively for the European community, the racecourse was soon frequented by elites from the Malay and Chinese communities who were keen on horse racing. Soon after the Club was renamed the Singapore Turf Club in 1924, the Club’s committee decided that the racing facilities were inadequate for coping with the growing interest in the sport. The Club eventually sold the race grounds and shifted to a new racecourse at Bukit Timah in 1933.
