THE Penang Turf Club (PTC), founded in 1864, will officially bring down the curtain after hosting its final race meeting at the Batu Gantong course today.

To mark its swansong, the club has specially commissioned a trophy, fittingly named the Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy, for the winner of this poignant and historic occasion. The race is scheduled as Race 6 (1,300m) and is set to begin at 3.50pm.

For racing aficionados who have long derived immense satisfaction from the “King of Sports,” today’s event is one not to be missed.

Attendance is expected to swell from the usual 100 to 200 spectators to perhaps a thousand or two, still a far cry from the heydays when crowds of 6,000 to 7,000 were the norm. The venue can accommodate up to 14,000 spectators.

Dwindling public interest in horse racing, coupled with mounting financial losses, has prompted the closure of PTC. This leaves only two remaining turf clubs in Malaysia: the Perak Turf Club (established in 1886) and the Selangor Turf Club (established in 1896).

The closure echoes a regional trend. In October last year, the Singapore Turf Club held its final race at Kranji, ending an 182-year chapter in its racing history. Similarly, the Macau Jockey Club ceased operations in April last year.

Horse racing in Penang began as a pastime for the British colonial elite, who would race one another on horseback through their expansive plantations. It was more than a sport; it was a social affair, often accompanied by afternoon tea and gin and tonic by the rails.

The illustrious Brown family of Glugor played a key role in organising the first race meeting 161 years ago, with David Wardlow Brown serving as the club’s inaugural president. Membership was a much-coveted privilege, offering not only a seat in the stands but also access to the highest echelons of colonial society.

In those early days, horse owners doubled as jockeys, with the sport dominated by wealthy amateurs. It remained, for some time, an affair largely confined to the expatriate community.

The Penang Turf Club has certainly come a long way, as the sport evolved and grew into a billion ringgit racing industry.

The club’s first race track, measuring nearly 1,621.8 yards (1,483.0 metres), was located where St. George’s Girls’ School now stands on Macalister Road. In 1868, its early wooden stands were topped with attap roofing, a far cry from the facilities seen in later years.

A major transformation came in 1900 when Dammy Brown replaced the wooden structures with more durable concrete and plaster buildings, setting the stage for the club’s gradual modernisation.

Controversy surrounded the club’s next big leap when, in 1934, following the economic hardships of the Great Depression, the committee decided to relocate to the present premier site at Batu Gantong.

“Each time a suggestion was made to expand or to build additional structures to better facilitate racing, there have been concerned voices warning against reckless spending. Fortunately for the Club, its detractors have historically been proven wrong,” wrote Datuk Ong Eng Khuan, then president of PTC, in the foreword of a commemorative book published in 2004.

In a landmark moment in 1946, the club elected Lee Too Poon as its first local president, who went on to lead a committee comprising both locals and expatriates, a reflection of the changing times.

Over the decades, the Batu Gantong track has delivered countless thrills and its fair share of heartaches. Many of the finest horses from the Malayan Racing Association (MRA) circuit have left their mark here, making their owners, trainers, and jockeys proud.

Among the greats to have graced the Penang scene are Bay Dragon, Prince of Lalita, Chummy’s Special, Ultraman, Sir Toby, and the legendary Three Rings, the English gelding who clinched three Singapore Gold Cups and two Penang Gold Cups.

Equally unforgettable are the personalities who shaped the turf’s golden age, including champion trainer J.R. “Doc” Rodgers and the legendary Datuk Seri Teh Choon Beng.

Rodgers’ most memorable moment came in 1947. “My son, Alex, was born on that day. I won eight races from ten entries in Ipoh. From that day, I never looked back,” he recalled in an interview with the Straits Echo. A former veterinarian, Rodgers was crowned the first Asian “Champion Trainer” in 1949, and his horse Bright Eyes took the title of Horse of the Year.

His greatest pride, however, was Three Rings, a horse widely regarded as one of the finest in local racing history, securing a total of five Gold Cup titles.

Datuk Seri Teh Choon Beng, son of esteemed trainer Teh Say Leong, carved out a record-breaking career. He remains the undisputed champion trainer in PTC’s history, amassing an incredible 1,825 winners over a quarter of a century.

He entered the Guinness Book of World Records for saddling seven winners at the Singapore Turf Club meeting at Bukit Timah on 3 August 1991. At just 33, he was the youngest-ever champion trainer in MRA history.

Renowned for his uncompromising standards on horse fitness and care, Teh’s favourite horse was Sir Toby, “a small horse with the heart of a lion,” he once told The Star.

Another remarkable contribution to local racing came from the Sung family of the renowned Auric Stable, who were crowned champion owners in the MRA for a record 15 times — a testament to their enduring legacy in the sport.

At an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held last year, club members voted to sell the 81-hectare site at Batu Gantong. The club’s 500-odd members are now keeping their fingers crossed for a favourable share from the sale proceeds, as are some 470 golf members, who are hoping for better ex-gratia payments or compensation packages.

Meanwhile, about 150 club employees will be offered a voluntary separation scheme or other retrenchment benefits in phases.

Given the current circumstances, today’s final race meeting will be an emotional one — tinged with sadness for some and filled with fond memories of the golden days for others. Still, there is hope that the excitement on the track will lift spirits and bring a fitting close to the storied legacy of Penang Turf Club.

Story by K.H. Ong

Pix by K.H. Ong and Penang Turf Club Facebook