The Byerley Turk, one of three foundation stallions of the stud book raced at a meeting held by the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders in 1690.

The Down Royal Corporation of Horsebreeders was created in 1685 by Royal Charter from King James II, the objective being the encouragement of horse breeding in the county of Down.
The first racecourse was a three mile, undulating horseshoe shape at Downpatrick.

One of the most famous horses ever to run at a meeting held by the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders was The Byerley Turk, one of three foundation stallions of the Stud Book.

Owned by Colonel Byerley, The Byerley Turk raced at the track in 1690 on the way to the Boyne where he joined the Williamite armies as a charger.

The move from Downpatrick to the present course at the Maze, Lisburn came in the early 1700s to a site set aside 100 years earlier by Arthur Hill who resided in Hillsborough Castle. It appears that Hill has influence with royalty for, in June 1690, when he was playing host to William III on his way to Battle of the Boyne, Hill informed the King that Down Royal had not been subsidised by royal grant.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother goes racing at Down Royal on Saturday 10th May 1958 and presents the Governor’s Cup to the Major T.W. Hughes the winning owner of Copper Cottage.

The King immediately sent an autographed letter to Christopher Carlton, the Collector of Customs in Belfast, granting £100 for a King’s Plate to be raced for annually.

In 1750, King George II donated another £100 and from then to the present day a Royal Plate has been held at Down Royal which is contributed to by the Privy Purse.