This track is set in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg, a mere three kilometres from the Johannesburg CBD, in lush, green surroundings near airports, motorways and metropolitan areas.
The track is right-handed, with a circumference of about 2400m. It also has a long sweeping bend, and a home straight of just over 500m that is widely considered to be one of the toughest tracks in South Africa. This is due to a steady incline from about the 1200m to the final turn with a circumference of approximately 2600m, then a 1200m straight course joining the round course at about the 800m mark. The straight course is flat, though, and the Turffontein 1200m is probably one of the most undemanding sections in South Africa. This could result in races run too slow early on. Front runners will definitely benefit in the shortish straight, but if the heat is on from the start, a certain measure of staying power will be required to stay in the race.
Races ranging from between 1400m to 1800m start on the back straight, and races run over 1200m and 1000m come out of separate chutes on the bend, similar to that of the old Turffontein outer course.
On average, there are about 70 race meetings per year, some of which sees crowds of over 15 000 people, especially at the Group One South African Derby and the Summer Cup in November.
This racecourse has a fascinating history, its beginnings dating back to Johannesburg’s gold rush in an attempt to promote new wealth in the area.
The course is a heritage site and also acts as one of the major training centres in South Africa where over 700 horses make use of these facilities each morning.
Turffontein Racecourse sports fourteen venues with a wide variety of dining experiences. One can also rent rooms with magnificent views facing the tracks or attend any of the many functions done by in-house caterers I’Sizwe Hospitality and award-winning chefs, albeit a wedding, a party, a conference, or an exhibition. Corporate relay races or extreme sports can also be booked here. Dietary and Kosher requirements are available on request.
Turffontein Racecourse is home of the prestigious ‘Summer Cup’ and the eagerly anticipated ‘Champions Day’.
Every race run at Phumelela Turffontein Racecourse is televised for broadcasting. The in-house video and editing facilities at Turffontein are on a par with those of SABC and M-net. These professional video services are available to you for audio-visual presentations to create a lasting memory of your special occasion, or in the form of a business broadcast to link your conference or board meeting to your companies in other major centres.
Address: Turf Club Street, Turffontein, 2190 Box 183 Johannesburg
Tel. (011) 681-1500 Fax. (011) 683-7116