EQUESTRIAN
Down Royal Racecourse
Turf trotting S
teeped in horseracing history Down Royal can trace its form back to 1685, and although there have been a few changes of aesthetics and owners since then, the core racing ethos of the track continues. Now under the ownership of the Merrion Property Group, and a fresh team of staff managed by new Chief Executive Emma Meehan, the track has shown steady growth and has big plans for the future. There are 12 race meets at Down Royal per year with the most valuable being the Kauto Star Champion Chase, run at the Northern Ireland Festival of racing in November. The most valuable flat race to be run there annually is the Ulster Derby. Delving into the history books, racing at the current course has been going on since the early 18th Century on land donated by Arthur Hill, the 1st Marquis of Downshire.
It’s no secret the Irish enjoy a flutter or two on the horses, hence why racecourses across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are thriving sports venues. One of the big name racing venues in Northern Ireland is undoubtedly the Down Royal racecourse sited near Lisburn and just fourteen miles from the centre of Belfast. Chris McCullough reports
However, the history of Down Royal can be traced back even further to 1685 when King James II issued a Royal Charter and formed the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders.
In 1750, King George II donated £100 to run King’s Plate and, to the present day, a race named Her Majesty’s Plate is run in July over one mile and five furlongs with the prize money contributed to by the Privy Purse. Although the racecourse is actually based in the United Kingdom, racing at Down Royal comes under the authority of Horse Racing Ireland as horse-racing in the British Isles is divided on a Great Britain and an all Ireland basis.
Back in October 2018, a dispute arose between the owners, Merrion Property Group, and the track operators, Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders. The corporation announced that it would cease
Chief Executive Emma Meehan 130 PC October/November 2019
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