Singapore closure puts other racing jurisdictions on notice

It was only a few sentences tucked away, and perhaps easily lost, deep in a radio interview … but, arguably, the warning some of the words posed should be headline material so that it can get the attention of racing authorities.

Vlad Duric, who has just returned to Australia from Singapore, was talking on Racing HQ about the decision to close down the 180-year-old Singapore racing industry, which will have its final meeting with the one hundredth running of the Singapore Gold Cup on October 5, when he matter-of-factly stated the following.

“It’s very sad that 180 years of racing history will come to an end. I was initially shocked. There was talk about it for a little while … and you just thought it would never happen. You would have thought even if it did happen it would be a bit down the line …and not happen so quickly.

“I guess, it puts a lot of racing jurisdictions on notice going forward into the future. If you rest on your laurels, their heads might be on the chopping block as well.”

The furore of the proposed sale of Rosehill … the Sandown redevelopment controversy … the Greens barking at racing’s heels … the anti-racing brigade (albeit that they tend to fire up with uninformed comments … that’s putting it politely) … all form areas of turbulence to racing’s current stability and future security.

While you wouldn’t for a moment compare racing in Singapore to the Australian racing industry overall, that doesn’t mean Australia can’t learn a lesson from the demise of Singapore racing.

For those listening, Duric’s message, although delivered in a very quiet manner, is loud and clear.

It just remains to be seen whether those who need to hear it most are tuned in … or not!