San Lazaro Leisure Park

{{Short description|A mixed-used venue which features a racetrack in Philippines}}

{{Infobox racecourse

|name = San Lazaro Leisure Park

|image = 220px

|caption =

|website = http://www.manilajockey.com/

|location = Carmona, Cavite, Philippines

|coordinates = {{coord|14|17|48|N|121|2|12|E|type:landmark_region:PH|display=title,inline}}

|owner = Manila Jockey Club

|opened = 2003

|closed =

|channel = {{plainlist|*Cignal (Nationwide): Channel 107 (via SLBN Sportsnet); Channel 109 (Gametime TV, overflow feed)

}}

|racetype =

|coursetype =

|notableraces = Presidential Gold Cup
MJCI Founders Cup

}}

The San Lazaro Leisure Park, officially known as the San Lazaro Leisure and Business Park, is a mixed-used venue which features a racetrack in Carmona, Cavite, Philippines. It is the home of the Manila Jockey Club.

The leisure park occupies a land {{convert|77|ha|sqm}} and houses around 1,000 thoroughbreds as of 2015. Pagcor operates a Casino within the area. It also houses a small venue inside the turf building, for cockfighting. The venue hosts a casino and is planned to be the site of the National Teams Training Centre to be used by both the national men's and women's football team. Within the grounds of the leisure park venues to accommodate baseball, football, and wakeboarding are being built. A concert venue is also planned.{{cite news|title=FIFA Goal Project 3 breaks ground|url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/12/15/14/fifa-goal-project-3-breaks-ground|accessdate=22 September 2015|work=ABS-CBN News|publisher=The Philippine Star|date=15 December 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Alzona|first1=Rodel|title=A thousand horses|url=http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/a-thousand-horses/|accessdate=22 September 2015|publisher=BusinessMirror|date=10 September 2015}}

History

File:San Lazaro Leisure Park GTV2.jpg

The Manila Jockey Club used to be housed at the San Lázaro Hippodrome in 1912 in Manila. The racetrack was built on the {{convert|400|ha|adj=on}} former friar estate known during the Spanish colonial period as the Hacienda de Mayhaligue. It later came to be the known as the Hacienda de San Lázaro being home to the Hospital de San Lázaro for lepers administered by the Franciscans since 1785. The site itself was the location of the Real Monasterio de Santa Clara, which the Manila Jockey Club purchased during the early days of the American colonial period in 1900. Prior to the construction of the hippodrome at San Lázaro, the Club held its races at the Santa Mesa Hippodrome in Santa Mesa. The Club then transferred its racetrack to its present site in Cavite in 2003. The former site was converted into a mixed-used development under the name, San Lazaro Tourism and Business Park.{{cite web|url=http://www.asianracing.org/phillipines |title=Philippines |publisher=Asian Racing Federation |accessdate=4 June 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1370&dat=20030207&id=g5UVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3513,641079&hl=en |title=Goodbye San Lazaro, hello Carmona |publisher=Manila Standard Today |accessdate=4 June 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/The%20Legacy%20Book%202nd%20Edition.pdf |title=A Legacy of Public Health |publisher=Department of Health |accessdate=4 June 2015 }}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In August 2022, Manila Jockey Club (1867-2022) shut down its 155-year-old horse racing operations of the Leisure Park with the last races under its banners in October, disclosing the "it would focus on real estate ventures while leasing existing properties."{{Cite web|url= https://business.inquirer.net/358836/manila-jockey-club-to-shut-down-horse-racing-operations | title=Manila Jockey Club shutting down 155-year-old horse racing operations|first=Doris|last=Dumlao-Abadilla |website=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=August 24, 2022 }} Manila Jockey Club leases its horse racing facilities in Carmona, Cavite, to The Horsemen's Track of Hapi Jockey Club Inc. (HJCI){{Cite web|url= https://business.inquirer.net/362102/manila-jockey-to-lease-out-cavite-horse-racing-facility | title= Manila Jockey to lease out Cavite horse racing facility|first=|last=|website=|date=September 13, 2022 }}

Recent developments

Among the newest projects inside the SLLP is the construction of the new grand cockpit of MJC's subdiary, Manila Cockers Club (MCC), the 2,000-seater MCC Coliseum.{{cite web|url=http://manilacockers.com/mcc-coliseum-rising-soon-at-san-lazaro-leisure-park/|title=MCC Coliseum Rising Soon At San Lazaro Leisure Park|publisher=Manila Cockers Club|date=5 November 2015|accessdate=2 January 2016}}

See also

References