Last call at the PTC track to mark the end of a 161-year legacy
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Turf Club (PTC), Malaysia's oldest horse racing institution, has hosted its final race, marking the end of a 161-year legacy.
A large crowd of spectators and punters turned up yesterday at the grandstand located in the 81.75ha site in Batu Gantong.
Among them was Penangite Ooi Chee Chong, 43, who stepped into the PTC grounds for the first time on what would be its last official race day.
'I've heard stories from my friends and older colleagues about the races here. They used to come here in the 1960s and '70s, dressed in their Sunday best. It wasn't just about the betting for them; it was a big social outing and people came to see and be seen.
'I never had much interest in horse racing until recently. To be honest, I always thought of the turf club as something from the past, something for older people.
'But when I heard it was closing, I felt a strange sense of urgency as I didn't want to let it disappear without seeing it for myself,' he said.
Ooi, who works as a factory purchaser, described the atmosphere as unexpectedly moving.
'Even though it's my first time here, you can feel the emotion in the air. You look around and see old timers saying their goodbyes silently and taking selfies at the grandstand. It hits you because this place means a lot to a lot of people.
'It's a bittersweet moment. There's excitement, but also a sense of loss. It's like closing a chapter of our local heritage.
'Once this land is redeveloped, the entire experience will vanish – the turf, the track, the energy, the stories,' he said.
A punter, who wanted to be known only as Cheah, 67, said even if horse racing is revived elsewhere in Penang, it would not be the same.
'This place, with its colonial-era clubhouse and old trees, has a certain soul. You can't recreate that in a new venue.
'I'm glad I came here as it feels like I've touched a part of Penang's past, just before it disappears forever,' he added.
Seven races were staged as part of the farewell, including the RM250,000 PTC Farewell Trophy (1,300m race), the RM150,000 PTC Memorial Trophy (1,100m race), and the RM100,000 Jockey Club of Turkey Trophy for the 1,400m race.
As the sun sets on PTC, the echoes of cheering crowds and thundering hooves will give way to new developments.
PTC president Datuk Ong Eng Khuan said, 'It is with a heavy heart that we had to resort to this measure of ceasing racing operations as we have been incurring losses for many years.
'The club has been struggling with fallen attendance, a drastic drop in racing revenue, lack of participation and interest in horse ownership over the years.
'Horse racing, unfortunately, is no longer attracting the big crowds like it did in the 1950s,' he said in a statement.
Ong added that although PTC will cease its racing operations, the entity of Penang Turf Club will remain until its full closure.
In June last year, PTC members voted overwhelmingly to dissolve the club and sell its prime land.
On April 20 this year, the PTC voted unanimously to close following a Special General Meeting. It confirmed the resolutions passed at the First Special General Meeting on June 10, 2024, to dissolve.
The land, adjacent to the upscale Taman Jesselton, is estimated to be worth between RM2bil and RM3bil upon conversion to commercial status.
However, the transition from recreational to mixed development use is projected to cost about RM1bil. An initial open tender for the entire property concluded without any qualified bids.
The club plans to subdivide the land into smaller parcels to attract a broader range of potential buyers.
Civil society groups have raised concerns about the proposed rezoning of the PTC land from a green recreational space to a commercial and mixed development area. They said it could lead to irreversible negative impacts on Penang's environment and infrastructure.
Established in 1864, the PTC began its journey on a modest parcel of land, granted free, along Macalister Road (now St George's Girls' School), for the purpose of horse racing. It relocated to its present site in 1939.
Die-hard racing fans can look to the Perak Turf Club, established in 1886, and the Selangor Turf Club, founded a decade later in 1896, both of which continue to host regular meets for now.
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