In horse racing, the clubhouse turn is the turn on a racing oval that is closest to the clubhouse facility, typically the first turn after the finish line. It’s also described as the turn to the right of the grandstand, so named because the clubhouse is usually positioned to the right of the general stands.
The clubhouse turn serves as an important landmark on the racetrack, helping to identify the specific location where horses navigate around the oval. For races that begin on the frontstretch or homestretch, the clubhouse turn represents the first turn that horses encounter during their race.
This terminology is standard across North American horse racing tracks and appears consistently in official racing glossaries and track publications. The positioning of the clubhouse facility relative to the grandstand is what gives this turn its distinctive name, distinguishing it from other turns on the racing oval.