Downpatrick Racecourse, located one mile from the town of

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be th ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to th ...

, is one of the two horse racing courses in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

, (the other being Down Royal). The first race meeting at Downpatrick was held in 1685 under the charter of

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

. The king issued

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, t ...

creating The Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders in the County of Down. Although Northern Ireland is part of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, horse racing is run on an All Ireland basis, so Downpatrick falls under the aegis of

Horse Racing Ireland Horse Racing Ireland (HRI; ga, Rásaíocht Capaill na hÉireann) is the governing body of horse racing on the island of Ireland. It is based in the Curragh, County Kildare, next to the racecourse of that name. HRI was founded in 2001, succee ...

rather than the British Horseracing Authority. The course now stages only National Hunt racing following the discontinuation of Flat Racing at the track. The feature race at the course is the Ulster National Handicap Chase run over a distance of 3 miles 4 furlongs 110 yards.

External links

Official site
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References

Horse racing venues in Northern Ireland Sports venues in County Down Sports venues completed in 1685 1685 establishments in Ireland {{Horse racing in Ireland