Expat Kiwi trainer Stephen Gray has based his successful Copper Belt Racing Stables at the Singapore Turf Club in Kranji since 2000, where it was announced this week that racing will cease from October 2024.

“It’s devastating to us here. We had no inkling it was going on or any idea,” Gray told SENZ’s Mornings with Ian Smith.

“There were a couple of rumours going around a few days before at the sales (Magic Millions) on the Gold Coast, but I’ve heard that before. It’s a massive shock, I’m still getting over it.”

COVID-19 took a serious toll on the Singapore Turf Club, almost causing the club to go under due to the current betting systems only allowing punters to bet on course or in betting centres, which was not possible under restrictions.

“Through COVID, we were decimated,” Gray said.

“Myself, personally, at the time was looking at moving out because I couldn’t see it surviving, but we had two grown kids, we were forced to stay for family.

“Then, in the last 12 months we’ve seen a significant amount of interest in investment, we were assured by the Club it was pushing on.

“It was all starting to look really good, so we had no idea at all.”

The Singapore Turf Club employ approximately 300 staff internally, who will be given employment options and packages, something that will not be available to outside staff working for the 23 licensed trainers based in Singapore.

“We had a meeting yesterday with all of the trainers, we have a good trainers committee here. We’re all adamant we’ve been wrongly done by, and led up the wrong tree,” Gray said.

“We worked out (between the trainers) that we have close to 700 staff, what’s going to happen to them? What’s going to happen to us?”

Around 50-100 horses are exported from New Zealand to Singapore per year, with top trainers such as Gray, Te Akau’s Donna Logan and successful young trainer Jason Ong among several trainers making purchases at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready-to-Run and National Yearling Sales.

“It’s massive for New Zealand Bloodstock, we breed the best horses at value in the world,” Gray said.

“We don’t compete with Hong Kong but we’re at the bottom-middle end, which is massive for the pinhookers and breeders when we go and spend up to $150,000 for a horse, sometimes more.”

Gray and his fellow trainers now face the huge task of relocating more than 700 racehorses that currently call Singapore home.

“(Singapore) is one of the best framed countries in the world, the Government do their thing, but the Club is responsible,” he said.

“You can’t tell me they didn’t know. They are set to have a $40 million profit this year, the staff here last month got a five percent pay rise and a three-month bonus, including the CO’s.”

Looking forward, Gray sets his sights on remaining loyal to staff and owners in Singapore until it becomes financially unviable to continue, before returning to New Zealand.

“I’d love to train in partnership with Dad (Kevin Gray) for a little while, chill out for a bit with family, and make decisions then,” he said.