Royal Turf Club of Thailand

[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.

By 1916, in the reign of King Vajiravudh, conflicts arose between them at the RBSC due to expatriates' introduction of new varieties of sports causing funds to be diverted from horse-racing prize money.

Originally confined to expatriates and the upper class, interest in the sport later spread to other groups in society and horse racing rapidly gained popularity in the 1920s.

[9] At the club's annual general meeting on 22 September, the incoming executive board announced that the club—which had an outstanding tax debt of about 1.5 billion baht (US$46M in 2018) accumulated from 2000 to 2015[10]—would seek to build a new site and continue operations.

[11] The grounds were razed for redevelopment as a park commemorating the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the designs of which were unveiled by the Bureau of the Royal Household in 2021.

The building, which later housed badminton courts, received the ASA Architectural Conservation Award in 1984 and is listed as an unregistered ancient monument by the Fine Arts Department.

Tickets were sold in three separate tiers, granting access to the lower and upper levels of the grandstand, or an air-conditioned VIP box.

Physically, the racecourse itself served as the site where, following the 14 October uprising in 1973, the National General Assembly was convened to select members for the drafting of a new constitution.

The country was then under the dictatorships of Sarit Thanarat and Thanom Kittikachorn, and army generals Kris Sivara, Surachit Charuserani and Chote Hiranyasthiti came to control the club's administration.