 Although actually 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 / All-Ireland basis.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 operations at the end of 2018 while Merrion, stated that they would run the course from 1 January 2019.