Hall of Fame exhibition for the Singapore Turf Club

As we’ve written in an earlier blog post, History Ink was commissioned to help celebrate the history of the Singapore Turf Club prior to its closure in October 2024.

Guests enjoy the Hall of Fame exhibition in the VIP area of the grandstand

As part of this project, we co-curated a ‘Hall of Fame’ exhibition, which welcomed distinguished guests on Level 4 of the grandstand on 5 October 2024 for the Singapore Gold Cup. This display honoured the Club’s 182-year history by highlighting key milestones and influential figures who have shaped Singapore’s racing history.

We really enjoyed digging into Singapore’s racing history for this exhibition. We discovered that:

Vanitas was the first Singapore horse to win an overseas race. He claimed the Viceroy’s Cup in India, and achieved three consecutive Singapore Derby victories.

H.C. Reilly, the Club’s Chairman from 1941 to 1951, led the restoration of the Bukit Timah Racecourse after World War II and revived horse racing in Singapore in 1947.

Tan Sri Runme Shaw was the longest serving Chairman in the Club’s history (1964 to 1983). He modernised the Club by establishing the Apprentice Jockeys’ Training School and introduced advanced technologies such as the computerised Sell Tote, Omega Photo Finish system, and a world-first $8 million outdoor “Diamond Vision” screen, which enhanced the race-viewing experience for racegoers. Readers may also know Runme Shaw and his brother Run Run Shaw from their prominence in the film and entertainment scene in Southeast Asia.