Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also turfit, turfman) a gambler; a regular frequenter of race courses.

1833		letter to Amer. Turf Register 20 Mar. 454: How does it happen, Mr. Editor, not a man can be found able to refute this old turfite, who so conclusively proves [...] the inferiority of our racers to the English.
1836		Farmer’s Mag. Mar. 249: It is painfully suspicious to hear professed turfites prating about appeals to a jury of their country on turf affair.
1841		Musical World 10 June 379: No turf-ite, on the Derby day, nor schoolboy on going home day, nor village lass on a fair day — ever felt more youngly alacritous.
1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 29 Apr. 2/3: Turfites will ere long find how correct are our conclusions.
1853		G.J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand (1890) 91: Levanter, who was now on half-pay, and a regular turfite, had backed her heavily.
1857		Bell’s Life in Victoria (Melbourne) 10 Oct. 3/2: Not only ‘Nestor’ and ‘Mickey Free,’ but many a turfite who deems himself far wiser than either [etc].
1859		Bell’s Life in Tasmania 12 July 2/6: [T]here was a large assemblage of influencial Turfits to enjoy the good grub and first-rate wines.
1868		Illus. London News 19 Aug. 201: The week at Canterbury is to crickete what Epsom, Newmarket, and Doncaster are to turfites; and a more jovial gathering cannot be imagined.
1873		Once a Week 202: These had been Philip Durnford's experiences of the ‘glorious uncertainty of the turf’ for seven miserable weeks of the worst season for backers the oldest turfite could remember.
1881		Bulletin (Sydney) 7 May. 4/3: None of the constables knew the principal N.S. Wales turfites by sight.
1882		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 4 Nov. 2/1: [T]he last prop has been knocked from under the turfmen of New York by the decision [...] that book-makin gis Illegal.
1884		H. Smart Post to Finish III 180: Old hypercritical turfites, rendered sceptical from losses.
1899		Boy’s Own Paper 7 Jan. 231: They are turfites now, and can give tips.
1900		Sporting Times 3 Mar. 1/4: Into a certain sporting club there walked last week a well-known Yidisher turfite.
1901		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 25 Sept. 1/2: Perhaps it is because as a turfite his speeches are so ‘racy’.
1908		Sporting Times 18 July 1/5: Sick and tired of the importunities of a well-known busted turfite, one of his frequent contributors turned upon him at last.
1916		Coventry Eve. Teleg. 9 Sept. 4/1: [headline] Well-known Turfite’s Bankruptcy.
1932		Gloucs. Echo 4 May 7/4: ‘The Daily Turfite’ gives only one or two advices each day.

2. (W.I.) a veteran.

1995

Francis-Jackson Official Dancehall Dict. 52: Turfite veteran; seasoned: u. dancehall turfite/regular dance patron.