SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The first ever China Equine Cultural Festival Singapore Cup (CECF Singapore Cup) was held this weekend at the Kranji Racecourse. The Sg$3.05 million ($2.44 million) nine horse race was won by US-based Parranda, ridden by Belgian rider Christophe Soumillon.
The event hosted by China Horse Club was deemed a great success, as a total of 12,000 people attended the inaugural event.
The festival which coincided with Chinese New Year festivities, saw many wealthy Chinese in attendance, boosting China Horse Club’s optimism that the event will become a leading race in the international calendar.
Malaysian Billionaire Teo Ah Khing, Owner of Tanjin-based Elite Racing Group and principal investor of the CECF Singapore Cup , commented that the race was a test bed for plans to host a series of international race meetings aimed at attracting Chinese ‘elite’ consumers
“The whole idea is to tap into a vacuum and meet the demand of a lot of Chinese from the mainland who travel overseas and read a lot about the big international races. The affluent mainland Chinese want to be known as owners of stallions, owners of internationally-renowned stallions,”
Race horses in the festival were limited exclusively to China Horse Club stables. However the organiser stated that future races would invite international riders to participate as the festival looks to extend its coverage and appeal for foreign race enthusiasts
