The Penang Turf Club ( PTC) is a defunct

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

track in George Town within the Malaysian state of

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

. Established in 1864, it was the oldest of Malaysia's three turf clubs, alongside the

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

and

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

turf clubs. The race track has a three-storey

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...

with a capacity of 14,000. In addition to its primary function as a venue for horse racing, the race track includes a nine-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

. In 2024, members of the PTC approved a resolution to dissolve the club and list the race track for sale. The venue held its last horse race in the following year.

History

Founded in 1864, the PTC was the second oldest

club in

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

, following the Singapore Sporting Club which was established in 1842. David Wardlow Brown was the club's first president. The PTC originally received a

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

provided free of charge by the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...

government at Macalister Road for its first

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

. The race track, measuring nearly , was located at the site of what is now St. George's Girls' School. The PTC also maintained an office within the Government Offices at Weld Quay. The original race track on Macalister Road incorporated a section designated for a

. The first structures of the track were constructed from wood and attap. In 1900, new grandstands were added to the race track. From 1912 to 1928, it was considered the most modern race track in Malaya. In 1935, the PTC acquired the present-day site at Batu Gantong. The race track was relocated to the Batu Gantong site by 1939. Horse racing continued to be permitted during the Japanese occupation, allowing the PTC to survive

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

unscathed. The site comprises the race track, which has a grandstand with a capacity of 14,000 and includes a nine-hole

, as well as six other land parcels surrounding the race track.

Dissolution

In 2002, the PTC entered into an agreement with local property developer Abad Naluri for the sale of the race track. Abad Naluri had planned to build the RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre (PGCC), envisioned as a

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

with commercial and residential components. Public opposition to the project contributed to

Pakatan Rakyat Pakatan Rakyat (PR; ) was an informal Malaysian political coalition and successor to Barisan Alternatif (BA). The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP), and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Par ...

(predecessor to the present-day

Pakatan Harapan Pakatan Harapan (PH; stylised as HARAPAN; ) is a Malaysian Parliamentary group, political coalition consisting of Centre-left politics, centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has led ...

coalition) seizing power from the incumbent

Barisan Nasional Barisan Nasional (BN; ) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1974 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties to succeed the Alliance Party. It is the third largest political coalition with 30 seats in ...

in the 2008 state election. The PGCC project was eventually scrapped. In 2011,

Berjaya Corporation Berjaya Corporation Berhad (; formerly known as Berjaya Group Berhad, Inter-Pacific Industrial Group Berhad and Raleigh Berhad) is a Malaysian-based corporation which controls a wide array of businesses, including consumer marketing, Real estate ...

acquired from the PTC to develop the low-density residential neighbourhoods of Kensington Gardens and Jesselton Courtyard. As interest in

declined and financial difficulties mounted following the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, in 2024, members of the PTC voted to dissolve the club and list the race track for sale. At the time, the land and its associated properties were valued between RM2 billion and RM3 billion. However, by the end of 2024, the club received no qualifying bids, prompting plans to subdivide the land into smaller parcels to attract more potential buyers. The last horse race at the PTC was held on 31 May 2025. Following the closure of the PTC, the Perak Turf Club and Selangor Turf Club are the only operational turf clubs within Malaysia.

References

External links

*{{official website, https://penangturfclub.com/
1864 establishments 1860s establishments in British Malaya Turf clubs in Malaysia Sports venues in Penang Former sports entities Horse racing in Malaysia Defunct horse racing venues

History

Dissolution

See also

References

External links