Singapore Officially Ends Horse Racing, Shuts Down Track to Make Way for Public Housing

The last horse race in Singapore has concluded, meaning that the local government can now proceed with their plans to dismantle the track, making room for more public housing.

After more than 180 years of racing, the final event took place Oct. 5 at the Singapore Turf Club. An estimated 10,000 people were thought to be in attendance to witness the jockeys and horses take one last lap, as reported by the Strait Times.

The decision to shut down the track came as Singapore's population has steadily increased. The country, which is smaller in size than New York City, hit more than 6 million people this year, as reported by the Business Standard.

Horse racing has been on a steady decline in Singapore. While the 10,000 attendees was up from about 6,000 in 2019 and even less than after the pandemic, that number is still just a third of the stadium's capacity.

The racing track is scheduled to be turned over to the government by March 2027. Until then, preparations will be underway, including exporting more than 200 horses.

The stadium will be replaced by public housing as well as some private housing. Cyril Tuzeman, a property agent in Singapore, told the Australian Broadcasting Company that the government wants to make sure that private apartments and houses are not just bought up by non-residents, and that locals have options.

Private apartments and houses in Singapore cost about 13 to 14 times the median income in Singapore, whereas public housing costs just four to fives times the median income.