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New Straits Times

A final gallop at Penang Turf Club [WATCH]

GEORGE TOWN: As the sun dips below the horizon today, the thunder of hooves will echo across the Penang Turf Club (PTC) for the final time. The last race meeting will not just mark the end of a sporting calendar, but also the closing chapter of one of Penang's most cherished legacies. Founded in 1864, the PTC is Malaysia's oldest turf club. For more than 160 years, it has been more than a racecourse — it was a social anchor, a green sanctuary in a city increasingly consumed by steel and concrete, and a place where friendships, memories and legends were made. Once nestled in the heart of the community, its story began in Macalister Road before relocating to its current grounds near Bukit Gantung in 1939. Its storied turf has hosted everything from the illustrious Penang Sprint Trophy and the Governor's Gold Cup to lively weekends filled with punters and families. But following a unanimous vote by its members at an extraordinary general meeting last month, the club will now begin a formal dissolution process expected to take up to two years. "We used to see horses being led all the way to Gurney Drive for a bath," recalled Lim, a 75-year-old retired member who spent decades within the club's embrace. "Weekends were mad with people. Police had to manage the traffic. You could feel the energy in the air," he said. Today, only eight horses remain in the stables, cared for by two trainers. The once-bustling paddocks are now quiet. The grandstand seats are mostly empty. Yet for people like Lim, every corner of the club still whispers echoes of a bygone era. "It was never just about racing. It was where people gathered, where children ran across the lawns, where you caught up with the same faces every week," he said. The closure reflects broader regional trends. Turf clubs across Asia face similar fates — Singapore's 180-year-old club shut down last October and Macau's Jockey Club bowed out even earlier. The reasons are familiar — dwindling attendance, rising operational costs and the lingering financial aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, the grief in Penang runs deeper. For many, the PTC was one of the city's cultural lungs — a unique institution where high society rubbed shoulders with everyday enthusiasts, united by a shared love for the sport and the stories behind each race. A 62-year-old business owner, a regular visitor to the PTC who preferred not to be named, summed up the loss: "It's not about the money we won or lost. It was about being part of something. The thrill, the community, the ritual. Now it's just… gone." With racing set to cease, the fate of the sprawling grounds remains uncertain. Some fear the land will give way to luxury condominiums or shopping malls. Others hope for something more lasting. "I hope they turn it into a park. A real park, with trees and trails and maybe a small museum. Don't let them erase all this," said Lim. The idea of transforming the site into a Central Park-style public space has gained quiet traction, particularly among heritage advocates. They see it as a way to honour the club's legacy while offering future generations a place to breathe, reflect and remember. For now, all eyes turn to May 31 — a date that will be etched in the hearts of many. The final race will not simply mark the end of a season. It will be the last gallop of a grand dame of Penang, bowing out not with fanfare, but with quiet dignity. And though the gates may soon close and the turf lie still, the stories born on these grounds — of laughter, loss, luck and love — will live on, just as they always have.