Vaal · Free State
The hidden gem of the Highveld.
Set along the Vaal River — top-tier turf racing and relaxed country charm, a short escape from Johannesburg in the tranquil Vaal Triangle.
The venue.
Country racing at its finest.
Tucked along the Vaal River in the tranquil Vaal Triangle, the Vaal is a true hidden gem of South African horse racing. A short drive from Johannesburg delivers you to lush grounds, a relaxed country atmosphere and world-class turf tracks — both inner and outer — that suit sprint and distance events equally. The fair surface and spacious layout have earned the Vaal the loyalty of jockeys and trainers alike, and its place as the Highveld’s go-to country venue.
Heritage
Eight decades at the edge of the Highveld.
Racing at the Vaal dates to the mid-1940s, when the original licence was taken out at Viljoensdrif. The course was formally registered in 1946 and the Vaal Racing Club was founded shortly after. In 1988 the Vaal Racing Club and the Vereeniging Turf Club merged to form the Vaal Turf Club. A sand track was added in 2001, giving rise to the Emerald Cup — South Africa's signature sand-racing spectacle. The sand track closed in 2015 and was replaced by turf. Since 2016, the Vaal has hosted the annual World Sports Betting Grand Heritage.
Read the full Vaal historyA race day at the Vaal.
Three things that make the course unlike any other on the calendar.
1,600m of testing ground
The longest straight in South Africa turns every finish into a test of tactics. A race day at the Vaal is a race day where careful riding is everything.
Racing, unhurried
A relaxed afternoon in the Highveld country — picnic blankets on the rail, families at the paddock, and the sport at a pace that lets you enjoy every card.
The Vaal Classic & the Vaal Turf
The Vaal Classic is a 2,800m oval — races up to 1,000m run straight, beyond that clockwise with a 1,000m run-in. The Vaal Turf is a 3,000m oval with the longest circumference, run-in and straight course in South Africa — races up to 1,600m run straight, beyond 1,600m clockwise with a 1,000m run-in.
Signature suite
The Empress Club.
The Empress Club is the Vaal's newly refurbished hospitality suite — named for a former Vaal training-centre resident. The second-floor venue offers an elevated race day experience with dedicated televisions, tote and bar, and a choice of indoor dining or an open deck overlooking the track. For bookings and private hospitality enquiries, contact our central reservations team.
Inside Empress Club
The survivor track
Read the full Vaal history.
From the 1944 licence trouble and the washed-out 1947 night-racing experiment, through the Emerald Cup era, the sand-track controversy, the Vaal Classic reinvention, and the Grand Heritage cavalry charge. The complete story of South African racing's survivor track — born outside the glamour circuit, defined by the longest straight in the country, and rebuilt around whatever the industry needed next.
Inside the history
Beyond the race day
A country venue for private events.
A short drive from the city, with the Vaal River as a backdrop — the racecourse is a distinctive venue for corporate functions, team away-days, product launches and private gatherings. The unhurried atmosphere that defines a Vaal race day makes it a quiet antidote to a city-centre event.
Enquire about venue hireUpcoming at the Vaal
Signature meetings on the Vaal calendar.
World Sports Betting Grand Heritage
A 28-runner cavalry-charge handicap down the country's longest straight — launched in 2016 as the modern showpiece of the Vaal Classic era.
The Groom's Race
The annual Groom's Race closes Grand Heritage day — a working-racing tradition baked into the country course's biggest day of the year.
Vaal country racing
Country race meetings throughout the year, on the Vaal Turf and the Vaal Classic — relaxed, spacious, and unmistakably a Highveld day out.
Vaal Training Centre
Natural soil tracks, a basin beside the river, room per horse and the home-course advantage of running where you train. The country course's working backbone.
Plan your visit
Everything you need to know before arriving at the Vaal.
A day in the country
Come to the Vaal.
See what's on next, or plan a private event in the heart of the Vaal Triangle.
See upcoming events