A fun Sunday afternoon, accompanied by beautiful fashion, great food and ambience, time well spent with friends at the Singapore Turf Club during the 22nd Emirates Singapore Derby on 9th July 2017. It was a great time, everyone of us were dressed, elegant dress worn by the ladies and smart looking suits for us gentlemen.
Prior to the Emirates Singapore Derby 2017, I visited their roadshow at Kallang Wave Mall atrium on 24th June, a fun and interactive roadshow with fun activities for adults as well as for young children, one of them was the art and craft activity that the children can learn about racing colours! It was fun to see the children using their creativity to produce colourful racing colours. There were also information boards to share on horse racing, history, culture and the corporate social responsibility activities conducted by the Singapore Turf Club for various local Singapore communities and organisations.
The weather was great, nice sky, pretty cloud formations over the Singapore Turf Club horizon, a good day to be at the race tracks and enjoy the carnival and festivities of the Emirates Singapore Derby 2017. The hospitality and service at the Emirates Singapore Derby were great, we had a fun and enjoyable time at the marquee, with food, drinks, friendship, networking and of course, the sporting action on the race tracks.
This wasn’t just about a racing carnival, it’s more than that! The Emirates Singapore Derby was a reminiscent of my days in Australia when I was studying there, attending the major racing carnivals whenever I am able to, learning much more about the history, culture, sports and festivities of a racing carnival. In between the races on Emirates Singapore Derby, besides enjoying the delicious food spread and drinks, listening to the live band performing, we had a fun time chatting and mingling among us. Our pretty lady friends were busy taking photos with fellow guests dressed beautifully while we gentlemen were the ones taking photos for our well dressed friends and chatting away.
Prior to the start of any races, we would go outside to the open air marquee and watched the sports racing action on the tracks, cheering them on when they raced past us at the marquee. After the race was completed, some of us would stay around and take photos with the grandstand and the race track behind them. Returning back to the marquee after each race, we continued with the fun, food and drinks, chatting and networking.
The highlight was Race 9 Emirates Singapore Derby, we made our way into the main grandstand building, visiting the parade ring to view the horses getting ready for the main race of Emirates Singapore Derby 2017, along with the owners, guests and trainer. An eye opener and a close up experience inside the parade ring, watching the horses going through their paces and warm up before the race jockeys entering into the parade ring,
Soon, the bugle was sounded and the horses with their jockeys were “Call to the Post”, making their way out to the race track. We waited patiently behind for all the race horses with their jockeys to leave the parade ring and into the race track before the owners, trainer and guests made their way to the front, getting ready to watch the main race, the key highlight race of the Emirates Singapore Derby 2017.
As they lined up into their starting gates, everybody was patiently and eagerly waiting for them to start the race. Once all the competitors were lined up inside the starting gate, in the blink of an eye, the race was on! This was a high octane race, full of adrenaline and excitement! When the racers made the turn for the final home stretch, they lifted their paces and burst for the finishing line, everybody wanting to be the champion for this race! As they made a final dash to the finishing line, the visitors at the Emirates Singapore Derby cheered and encouraged them on from the sidelines!
With the main race concluded, the jubilant owner and trainer were very excited and happy, waiting for their winning horse and jockey to return. While waiting for the prize presentation to formally began, they can be spotted giving media interviews. Soon after, the winning jockey joined the jubilant owner and trainer, joining them on stage for the formal prize presentation.
The main race of Emirates Singapore Derby 2017 was over and that also marked the end of the racing carnival and festivities for us, as we bade goodbye to Singapore Turf Club, for a wonderful and fun afternoon of hospitality, food, drinks and sporting action on the race tracks, at the 22nd Emirates Singapore Derby. Thank you Singapore Turf Club for the invitation to the 22nd Emirates Singapore Derby and showering us with your warm hospitality.