Did You Know: The Petronas Twin Towers Site Was Once A Horse Racing Track
Races used to be held at Selangor Turf Club back in the 1800s.
By Tamara Jayne — 03 Jul 2020, 11:14 AM
Did you know that one of Malaysia's earliest equestrian tracks was located at the very same spot where the Petronas Twin Towers now stand?
Long before KLCC was built, a 100-acre horse race track, known as Selangor Turf Club, sat at what is now the heart of Kuala Lumpur
One of the earlier racecourses, Selangor Gymkhana Club, was located along the now Jalan Tun Razak before it was eventually moved and renamed as Selangor Turf Club
Horse racing was an extremely popular sport in Malaya during the British colonisation in the 1800s
However, only amateurs were allowed to ride at the time.
Back then, the wealthy and privileged would watch races from a grandstand, while regular folk would view them from the 'native-stand' next to the track (as seen in the photo below).
Seven races were usually held a day and people were allowed to buy as many tickets as they wanted to bet on horses they fancied
Each ticket would cost five Malayan dollars.
By 1906, the Club had grown to have 300 members, who each paid a subscription of 15 Malayan dollars a year with an entrance fee of 10 Malayan dollars.
Today, Selangor Turf Club is located at Seri Kembangan, where horse races and other events still take place.
Meanwhile, the previous race grounds have been transformed into a huge playground, wading pool with fountains, jogging path, and of course, the iconic Twin Towers
Construction of the Petronas Twin Towers started in 1993. And by 1996, they were named the world's tallest buildings.
Today, they are considered the world's tallest twin towers.
