The Bangalore Race Course is laid out in barely 85 acres. In this relatively small area, apart from the enclosures, stands and offices, there are the main grass track, three training tracks, an equine swimming pool, training schools, walking rings, 1040 stables, a veterinary hospital and an amateur riding school. This race course is probably the only one in the world where the limited space is available has been so comprehensively utilized to provide such varied facilities.
The Bangalore Race Track is an oval-shaped, right-handed course measuring approximately 1950 meters with four sharp curves and pronounced gradients. The downhill backstretch drops 13.10 (43 feet) meters from 1800 meters to 800 meters and climbs 11.53 meters (38 feet) from that point to the winning post with a further rise of 1.5 meters (5 feet) from the winning post to the 1800 meters. This demanding and testing race track, with its gradients, bends and a distinct short straight, places a premium both on the speed and endurance of the horse and the skill and experience of the jockey; a win on this race track is therefore a significant achievement.
The Race Track is measured at a point of 2 meters from the running rails which constitute the mean track of the field of horses in a race and the permanent distance boards have been accordingly fixed to indicate the starting point. When the races are run with the false rails the track is measured at 2 meters from the false rails and the movable distance boards are fixed along the false rails to indicate the starting point.
The penetrometer for gauging the track condition was introduced from the commencement of the Bangalore Winter Meeting 2000-01. Based on the limited experience, the state of going of the track is determined in terms of the following parameters: