Philippine Racing Club
 | |
| PSE: PRC | |
| Industry | Horse racing |
| Founded | 1937 in Carmona, Makati, Philippine Commonwealth |
| Founders | Filipino and American businessmen as co-founders |
| Headquarters | Naic, Cavite, Philippines |
| Services | Horse race betting and recreation |
| Website | www |
The Philippine Racing Club, Inc. (PRC) is a horse racing institution in the Philippines.[1] Founded in 1937 as the Santa Ana Turf Club in Makati, it is located at the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite where the Santa Ana Park racetrack is situated.
Currently, it is one of the three racing clubs in the Philippines; the other two are the Manila Jockey Club Incorporated (MJCI), and the upstart Metro Manila Turf Club (MetroTurf). PRC is a member of the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom).
History
PRC was started out in 1937 when a group of Filipino and American businessmen organized the first racing club during the first years in the Commonwealth era: the Santa Ana Turf Club (SATC). Established as a rival to the Manila Jockey Club, it is the first club to introduced the thoroughbred style of horse racing, and was also organized for the purpose of using horse breeds of "superior quality" for horseracing.[1] In 1939, Commonwealth Act No. 156 was enforced. The purpose of Commonwealth Act No. 156 was to include the Philippine Tuberculosis Society Inc. in the holding of yearly National Grand Derby Races, with the goal of promoting the breeding of local or native horses in the Philippines.[2]
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines on World War II, the racetrack activities was halted. This was later resumed in 1946 after the war.
In 1947, the ownership of the club was transferred to the Reyes family, led by Don Aurelio Parungao Reyes ("Oreng") who became the club's president until his death in 1972. Following his death, his widow Antonia Reyes took over the operations and the SATC was renamed as the Philippine Racing Club (PRC).[3]
In 1972, the PRC was granted a 25-year franchise through Republic Act No. 6632[4] to operate a racetrack and conducting horse races.
In 1994, a new management took over the operations of PRC. A year later, PRC's franchise was extended for another 25 years.[5]
In 1996, the PRC acquired a 147-hectare property in Naic, Cavite for a future relocation of the Santa Ana racetrack and made a joint-venture agreement with the Sta. Lucia Realty and Development Corporation for the development of the said property.[3][6]
In 2008, the PRC held its final year of horse racing activities in Makati.[7][8]
In 2009, the operations of the PRC and the Santa Ana Park racetrack were transferred to its current site at Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite. The club then entered into a joint venture agreement with Ayala Land and its subsidiary, Alveo Land, in 2011 for the development of the property.[8] The development would later become Circuit Makati, which was opened in 2013.[9]
The Club-Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in August 2022 announced that "it will drop its horseracing business in November as it focuses on real estate development."[10]
References
- ^ a b Ortuoste, Jenny. "1) MARHO: Past, Present, and Future; 2) A Short History of the Manila Jockey Club". MARHO Breeders’ Cup Magazine (2006 and 2008). Gogirl Racing. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ "The New Sweepstakes Agency". Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
- ^ a b "Horse racing at Sta. Ana Hippodrome". Philippine Publishing Notes.
- ^ Republic Act No. 6632
- ^ Republic Act No. 7953
- ^ "Sta. Lucia's Saddle & Clubs Leisure Park project on track". The Philippine Star.
- ^ "Sta. Ana soon to see good times again as Circuit Makati". GMA Network News. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Ayala Land unveils P20 billion conversion of Sta Ana Race Track into entertainment hub". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Ayala transforms race track into Broadway, football hub". Rappler. 11 January 2013.
- ^ Manuel, Pilar (April 20, 2022). "Philippine Racing Club to leave horse racing to subsidiary, focus on real estate". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022.