Founded in 1842 as the Singapore Sporting Club by Scottish merchant William Henry Macleod Read, the Singapore Turf Club has been woven into the fabric of Singapore's history for over 180 years, surviving colonial rule, a world war, and multiple relocations. The moment I stepped through its doors, I knew I had to document it. The place is a world unto itself: a sprawling, lived-in microcosm where retirees, seasoned punters and wide-eyed first-timers share the same electric anticipation. Gambling may carry its moral ambiguities, but there is something undeniably human and historically significant about this institution. With the Turf Club having held its final race in October 2024, these photographs feel all the more urgent — a record of a place and its people, preserved for posterity before the last hoofbeats fade. Originally published in The Straits Times
