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Down Royal

Location and History

Down Royal Racecourse, with its origins dating back to the 17th century, is one of the oldest horse racing venues in Ireland.

The first recorded race at this storied track took place in 1685, with the support of King James II, who bestowed a Royal Charter hence giving the course its regal title. The Down Royal Corporation of Horsebreeders was established in 1684 to oversee the racing at the site, a testament to the sport's longstanding significance in the region.

Over the centuries, Down Royal has hosted countless gripping races, becoming a real favourite for racegoers who enjoy witnessing the challenges posed by such a unique and sometimes demanding course.

The course itself has evolved significantly since its inception, now offering a modern racing experience while maintaining its historic charm.

Notably, the Down Royal Festival of Racing, held in November, has become one of the highlights of the Irish racing calendar, featuring the prestigious Ladbrokes Champion Chase, attracting racing aficionados from across the globe to the heart of County Down.

Remarkably, it’s been hosting racing for well over 200 years but in the 1990s, the track underwent extensive renovations which added a Grandstand, an elevated viewing and hospitality suites.

Like with most of the best tracks, high-class racing isn’t the only thing on offer here at Down Royal.

As mentioned just now, numerous luxury sites are available to accommodate guests celebrating birthdays or other special occasions, or for entertaining business clients. One of them is the Moscow Flyer Suite, named after the great jumper who twice won the Queen Mother Chase (2003 and 2005) to go with other notable Grade 1 race wins. All suites have their own private bar facilities.

If suites aren’t so much your thing, then there are three regular bars situated on the course including the Dark Horse Wine Bar, featuring a menu of premium wines in the most stylish of surroundings. There’s also no shortage of places to purchase food including luxury Beef Burgers and Gourmet Hot Dogs at the Our Curbed food stall.

Reaching Down Royal Racecourse is straightforward: it's situated near Lisburn, just off the A1, the main Belfast to Dublin road. Parking is free to all racegoers travelling by car, with all car parks within a five-minute walk of the turnstiles.

For public transport users, Lisburn train station is nearby, and from there, you can catch a bus or taxi directly to the racecourse, making it accessible from all major towns.

Types of Racing at Down Royal and Notable Races

As is the case with most Irish tracks, it hosts a mixture of jumps and flat racing, normally around 12 meetings a year across the two.

During the June Festival, fans of flat racing can look forward to His Majesty’s Plate and the Ulster Derby, while at the November Festival the biggest races are the Down Royal Mares Novice Hurdle, the WKD Hurdle, the Ladbrokes Champion Chase and the Skymas Chase.

The flat course is right-handed and has a circuit of just under two miles, being almost square in shape.

The National Hunt track is also right-handed, also square-shaped and has a circuit of one mile and seven furlongs with ten fences to a circuit.

In the words of the great retired jockey Ruby Walsh on the RacingTV website:

“Down Royal is a big, galloping track which is almost two miles in the round. It’s a mixed venue, hosting Flat, jumps and bumpers and stages a Grade One chase in November. There’s a downhill run from three furlongs out to the furlong pole and you need to be on a really good stayer to win here.”

Speaking of Ruby Walsh, he twice won the Ladbrokes Champion Chase here on-board two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kauto Star, doing so in 2008 and then again in 2010. The popular Beef or Salmon also won the same race here twice, doing so in 2004 and 2006.

The aforementioned Moscow Flyer won the Skymas Chase in 2002, while Don Cossack won that race in 2014, as well as the Champion Chase in 2015.

Heroes at Down Royal

Let’s look at the trainers and jockeys who have taken a particular liking to the Down Royal course over the years by winning on numerous occasions, or who were no strangers to the winner’s enclosure from the few starts they did have.

Top Trainers

  • No trainer has ever won more than 20 races here on the flat. Edward Lynam has managed exactly 20 with Joseph Patrick O’Brien next best with 19 wins. Curiously, both have a strike rate of exactly 20% at this track.
  • But it’s the great Aiden O’Brien who has the best strike rate here with 27% of his 18 runners going on to win. (5-18).
  • Looking at the trainers with mot success over jumps at Down Royal and one name dwarfs all the rest for total wins: Gordon Elliott. His 146 winners from 716 starts are three times more than anyone else has managed, the next best being Mrs John Harrington with 48 winners.
  • But the jumps trainer with the eye-catching strike rate is Paul Nicholls. The trainer of the great Kauto Star has had 12 winners (48%) from the 25 horses he’s raced here over the years.

Top Jockeys

  • Three jockeys have won here over 30 times on the flat. They are: Chris Hayes (43 winners), Declan McDonogh (32) and Pat Smullen (31). But Robbie Downey has the most impressive strike rate at 29%.
  • Ruby Walsh, him again, won more times over jumps at Down Royal than anyone else. His 47 wins from 226 starts are just one more than long-term rival Paul Carberry (46 from 274).

Down Royal Trivia

  • Horses sired by the great Galileo have won here at Down Royal on the flat on 13 occasions, more than any other horse.

  • Although the course is located in the UK as it’s actually in Northern Ireland, racing at Down Royal comes under the authority of Horse Racing Ireland.

  • The Ulster Derby, won in the past by the likes of Media Puzzle, Red Kelly and Tower of London, is Northern Ireland’s most valuable flat race.