Royal Turf Club of Thailand

The Royal Turf Club, seen from Baiyoke Tower II in 2009

The Royal Turf Club of Thailand under Royal Patronage (Thai: ราชตฤณมัยสมาคมแห่งประเทศไทย ในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์)[a] is a sports club in Thailand, formerly located at its historic horse racing venue in Bangkok, which was commonly known as the Nang Loeng Racecourse (สนามม้านางเลิ้ง).[b] It was founded in 1916 by a group of aristocrats as an alternative to the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, and became highly popular during the first half of the twentieth century. Horse racing in Thailand declined in popularity towards the end of the twentieth century, and the Royal Turf Club likewise saw large falls in spectator numbers. Nevertheless, it continued to hold races every other Sunday, until its land lease was terminated by the Crown Property Bureau in 2018 and the site redeveloped into King Rama IX Memorial Park. The club was long known as a site of business and political networking among the elite, especially senior military figures.
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