The Sport Of Kings

My mum planted the idea of going to the Singapore Turf Club for a children's carnival last Thursday. It was indeed a revelationary experience for the Bees as there are horse races, lots of horses around, games, bouncers and their ultimate favourite - junk foods like cotton candy and popcorn!

It was the first time that they had seen so many tall, strapping racehorses together. The girls watched with gaping mouths and voluminous eyes as some of the more stubborn horses adamantly refused to be ridden to the racetrack, acting aggressively and stopping abruptly, resulting in one jockey falling off the horseback. I asked Big Bee if she missed horseriding, and not surprisingly, she shook her head vehemently after seeing all the above chain of events. 

The weather was superb, with the setting sun as a magnificent backdrop to the galloping, majestic horses. The sapphire sky of an impending twilight was speckled with clouds tinged with tangerine and crimson. Outside the track, we were surrounded by dense palisades of dark green trees. Birds in little family groups flittered past the racetrack ever so often that Big Bee commented with amazement, "Mummy, did they purposely make the birds fly past? Because they seemed to fly past right after every race and how can there be so many birds flying nicely like this?!" Ha, the repercussions of urban living! 

The Bees had a fantastic time observing all sorts of equestrian idiosyncracies, watching the races, milling with the crowds, munching on popcorns and sinking their teeth into soft, sweet cotton candy. What a fun weekday evening!