SINGAPORE – Singapore Turf Club (STC) chief marketing officer Christina Chua on Sunday defended the club, stressing that it had not forgotten the trainers and that their concerns would not fall on deaf ears.

Last Monday, the Government announced that horse racing would cease from October 2024, with the 120ha of land occupied by the Kranji racecourse to be returned for redevelopment.

While the STC’s 350 employees will be given retrenchment packages, it was unclear what would happen to the 22 trainers’ ground staff – from stable hands and syces to track riders and local jockeys.

The trainers, led by Mr Michael Clements, president of the Association of Racehorse Trainers Singapore, had met STC president and chief executive Irene Lim last Friday for a 1½-hour meeting, though few issues were resolved.

Speaking to The Straits Times on Sunday, the first race meeting since the Government’s announcement, Ms Chua wanted to clear the air about a perception of an uncaring club.

“Trainers and the club have been partners in racing for decades. We need to support the Government’s decision, but it does not mean that trainers’ concerns and issues have fallen on deaf ears,” she said.

“We can really sympathise with trainers and their employees, not just our employees. It has been a tumultuous week for all of us.

“We didn’t forget them, actually. They have always been part of our discussions and review, hence we felt that we should also help them with our facilitation of placement services.

“Whilst they are people in the industry, they’re not directly in our employ. Still, we want to be able to help, but let’s talk through that.”

Ms Lim had on Friday asked the trainers to draw up a list of other concerns, said Ms Chua.

She added: “Rest assured that for what the club can do, if it is within our remit, we will. If we can’t, we will table it and get it addressed by the Government.

“Hopefully, with some compromises made, perhaps we can reach an acceptable solution.

“But, for the more actionable items – mainly operational – they are already in motion, like increase in prize money, racing through the racing break in December.

“We have given the Government feedback on additional support that the trainers are looking at.

“The racing transition support is monetary. It helps with horse maintenance, including bedding, stabling, feed and, eventually, horse exportation. We definitely have animal and horse welfare high on our priority list.”

Ms Chua also rejected claims that the club “encouraged” trainers and owners to buy new horses when racing returned to some normalcy post-Covid-19.

“Why would we do that?” she said. “They probably took the signals of the club doing better. It’s a fact we actually reversed the negative in the last two years.

“But as far as I know, the club certainly did not tell them to buy new horses. I can’t comment on something I don’t know.”

She ruled out any chance of extending the timeline of the last race on Oct 5, 2024, to a later date.

“The reason for the closure is... (that) the Government needs the land,” she said.

“The Oct 5 deadline was put forward so we can start preparing the land and the assets in stages, and return facilities to the Government by 2027.

“As agents of the Tote Board, as owners of the land, STC needs to operationalise it.

“Extension to that is one of the key points for the trainers, but it’s not our call.”