Dester Singapore Gold Cup at Singapore Turf Club on 20 Nov 2016

Magnificent horses, awesome Dester Beer, yummy free flow buffet combined with the element of charity... make a wild guess as to where you can find all these in Singapore?

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Did you guess it right?  

It has gotta to be the ONE and ONLY Dester Singapore Gold Cup which took place on 20 November 2016, set in the lush environment of Singapore Turf Club. The Singapore Gold Cup, one of the most prestigious horse races on the local racing calendar is presented by a new title sponsor – Dester 100% Malt, a premium beer brand owned by Singapore company Lubritrade.

Just take a look at the extraordinary media invite that Dester Beer sent to me via Singapore Turf Club.  Ain't this interesting and so apt as well?  I wish I can receive the Real Dester Singapore Gold Cup but too bad, I am not a trained jockey taking part in the races.  Ok, let me just hold onto my media invite and continue dreaming... hahaha! 

The most interesting media invite which I had received so far

I could feel my adrenaline rush when I reached Singapore Turf Club that day.  It is a place filled with much excitement and glamour as guests and invited influencers dressed up to the nines to attend this event.  With a rich history dating back to 1924, this longstanding race marked the climax of the Singapore Triple Crown Series after the running of the first two Legs in the Panasonic Kranji Mile and the Raffles Cup.

Singapore Turf Club

So what did I wear that day? I told one of my #ootd sponsors that the dress code is elegant cocktail dress and immediately she suggested this dress as she felt that the green colour is pretty striking and the design is unique too.  

I agreed with her suggestion... so this was my #ootd. I felt like a forest fairy who just walked out of the dense forest surrounding Singapore Turf Club... lol. 

ootd

My plus one guest, Tony, was dressed in a blue suit with a shirt that had blue and green flowers to match my dress. 

Me and my partner, Tony 

The event was off to a great start when you realized that most of the influencers that were invited are friends that you know. Hence the moment I got to Level 4 Grandstand, I got a chance to catch up with a lot of friends. It is extremely fun when you get to enjoy watch the horse racing at Dester Singapore Gold Cup, with food and Dester Beer, amidst great company of friends, in Singapore Turf Club. 

Me and the lovely Jessie

Me and my bro, HP. I love the tie he was wearing and he said it was Singapore Turf Club corporate tie.  Nice one!

My lovely friends!

Let's enjoy some Dester Beer together!

The Dester Singapore Gold Cup is also the Singapore Turf Club Annual Charity Race Day.  This year, together with Tote Board, the club will be donating S$1.5 million back to community and society.

After the running of the Gold Cup race, Mr Lim Joo Boon, Chairman of Singapore Turf Club would present the donation cheques totalling $1.5 million on behalf of the Club to 26 beneficiary organisations selected by Tote Board.  The Tote Board Group comprises Tote Board, Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club. 

Tote Board channels the gaming surpluses of Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club to uplift the local community by Giving Hope to vulnerable groups and Improving Lives of all in Singapore. Over the last 10 years up to March 2016, the Tote Board Group had contributed $6.1 billion in grants to diverse needs in Arts, Community Development, Education, Health, Social Service and Sports.

So are you hungry now? Let me show you what I had for lunch all the way to hi-tea that day.

That very extensive food menu!

Let me show you photos of some of the food but don't blame me if I make your stomach growl... hahaha!

What is good food without beer to go with?  All the guests enjoyed free flow of beverages but my personal favorite is definitely Dester Beer!

My favourite Dester Beer!

Best served chilled at 4 degree celsius, Dester 100% Malt pairs well with fresh seafood and equally rich delectable local cuisines

Dester 100% Malt (5% alcohol) is a full-flavoured, aromatic brew designed and specially developed by Lubritrade, a company that has been in the alcohol industry for the past 25 years in the region.

Discovering a niche for a local premium beer, the company gathered a team of brewing specialists and beer connoisseurs in their product development team to create their own unique European styled pilsner recipe. Dester 100% Malt is specially commissioned to be brewed in Korea by Oriental Brewery, a brewing company established since 1952, using premium hops and the finest quality malt.

With the first sip, drinkers will experience a deep malty flavour from the finest golden malt. The rich body of the beer is complemented by the slight lingering sweetness of pure malt. The beer's perfect gold and amazingly smooth finish distinctly leaves a clean and crisp finish on the palate. I simply love the smoothness and richness of Dester 100% Malt!

The process of making Dester Beer

Inspired by the luminosity of the lager against the morning light, the company crafted the name Dester from its Dutch equivalent "The Star", signifying a time of celebration and glory.

A photo with the Dester Beer event models

Besides enjoying the food, we were given a S$5 betting voucher to try out luck at horse betting. 

My S$% betting voucher... which horse should I choose?

I didn't know how to bet so I asked the friendly lady at the counter and she explained to me that each bet is S$5 and you can place bets on the placing of the horses such that if the horse you place bet on, comes out to be Top 3, you win the amount indicated on the screen under 'PLC' column.  You can also place bets on the horse that you feel will win the race and if the horse is the winning horse, you win the amount indicated on the screen under 'WIN' column.

Being a newbie and not too adventurous in betting, I chose horse 3 and prayed hard that it would come out as one of the Top 3 in Race 5.

Lady Luck shone on me as I won S$6 from this bet... hahaha!

One of the highlights of the event was a media tour specially arranged for influencers to have a more up close and personal encounter with those cute horses.

Pardon me but I became very trigger happy when I saw these horses at a closer distance as I was watching them from afar at the Committee Box (Level 4 of the Grandstand), Singapore Racecourse earlier on.

We also happened to chance upon a cheerleading team doing their rehearsals and I managed to grab some photos.  A little secret... when I was in secondary school, I hoped to become a cheerleader as that was the most 'in' CCA to join till I realised that I couldn't do the stunts due to my fear in height... lol.

One of the races was ongoing and I managed to watch it from where we were.

And the winner is...(drum roll pls)

Just look at the happiness and excitement!  The winning jockey got himself weighed, followed by an interview.

Another interesting highlight of the Dester Singapore Gold Cup was the on-site contest exclusively for invited Influencers and their partner.  Two best dressed E-fluencers would walk away with a Dester half yard glass and a 6-pack Dester Premium Malt Beer and I won one of the prizes... yeah!  

Thanks Singapore Turf Club for awarding me and my partner the title of the best dressed E-fluencer!  

In the spirit of sharing, we are going to throw an intimate Christmas gathering with our loved ones to share with them the goodness of Dester Beer.  For those who want to know more about Dester Beer, check out their Facebook page now.

Overall, the Dester Singapore Gold Cup was an amazing event and at the same time, meaningful as more than 26 selected beneficiary organisations benefitted from the donation.  Can't wait for next year's Dester Singapore Gold Cup to happen again!

Meanwhile, if you missed the 'live' action that day, check out http://www.goldcup.sg for more updates and coverage on the event.