More Perth races for Singapore

SINGAPORE,  24 August 2005

Come Nov 1, Singapore racing fans can enjoy more races from Western Australian Turf Club (WATC).

The Singapore Turf Club (SNTC) and WATC recently signed an agreement for the SNTC to simulcast about 37 race meetings from WATC per year for two years, from Nov 1 to Oct 31, 2007. The Club will be operating the totalisator for these races.

Racing fans here can look forward to full coverage of these races, including pre-race analyses in the Parade Ring as well as a television pre-view programme, similar to ‘Tracktalk’. In addition, the WATC races will be televised ‘live’ on Channel 89 of the Horse Racing Channel.

With the additional WATC races, racegoers can look forward to enjoying two race meetings simultaneously every Saturday afternoon. The WATC races will be paired with either the Malaysian or Singapore races on selected Saturdays. Horse Racing Channel 88 will carry either Singapore or Malaysian Saturday races while Channel 89 will broadcast the WATC races on those selected Saturdays. Separate TV monitors will show the races from the two race meetings at the racecourse and betting centres.

Yu Pang Fey, President and Chief Executive of SNTC said: "Since we commenced telecasting the WATC races in 1999, interest on WATC races has grown steadily over the years. Many of our customers are now familiar with the horses, trainers and jockeys there and have become avid fans of WATC races. We are delighted to now provide an expanded programme for their enjoyment. I would like to thank Ted van Heemst, Chairman of Perth Racing; Alasdair Robertson, Chief Executive, WATC and his team for making this possible."

Ted van Heemst expressed his delight at the completion of negotiations with the SNTC for the telecasting of Perth races into Singapore. "We have enjoyed a close relationship with the SNTC for many years and I would like to express my appreciation of the efforts of Chairman Koh Yong Guan, his Committee and the Executive team headed by Yu Pang Fey, in turning a dream into reality. Perth Racing has long recognised that our future is intrinsically linked to our time zone, and to strengthen our links with the SNTC which has established itself as an international force in the world of thoroughbred racing, is an exciting outcome for our Club," he said.