Editing Byerley Turk (section)

==Background==
The biographical details of the stallion are the subject of much speculation. The entry in the ''[[General Stud Book]]'' simply states: ''"BYERLY TURK, was Captain Byerly's {{sic}} charger in Ireland, in King William's wars (1689, &c.)''."<ref>''General Stud Book'', Vol., I, p. 389</ref> As for his earlier history, the most popular theory is that the horse was captured at the [[Battle of Buda (1686)]] along with the Lister Turk, who was brought to England by the Duke of Berwick. Other sources speculate he was one of three Turkish stallions captured at the [[Battle of Vienna]].<ref name=Bloodlines/> It is even possible he was bred in England from previously imported stock.<ref name="101Facts">{{cite book|last1=Byles|first1=Tony|title=101 Interesting Facts on the History of Horse Racing|date=January 14, 2015|publisher=Apex Publishing Limited}}</ref> He was definitely the war horse of Captain [[Robert Byerley]], who was dispatched to Ireland in 1689 during [[King William's War]] and saw further military service in the [[Battle of the Boyne]]. According to early records, Captain Byerley was nearly captured while reconnoitering the enemy, "owing his safety to the superior speed of his horse".<ref name="Bloodlines"/>

As a general rule, the spelling of a name registered with the [[Jockey Club]] is considered definitive, even if it is an obvious error.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hoppert|first1=Melissa|title=So, Who Misspelled American Pharoah?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/23/sports/american-pharoah-may-be-seeking-triple-crown-but-letter-perfect-hes-not.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=21 February 2017|date=22 May 2015}}</ref> However, the original edition of the ''General Stud Book'' was compiled nearly a century after the fact (in 1791) and contains several errors that have been subsequently corrected. Most sources consider the correct spelling of the horse's name to follow the correct spelling of the owner's name, Byerley.<ref name=Bloodlines/>

The Byerley Turk was a dark [[Seal brown (horse)|brown]] or [[Black horse|black]]<ref name=pedigreequery/> horse of unknown breeding, but described in historic accounts as an [[Arabian horse|Arabian]].<ref name="Bloodlines">{{cite web|title=Byerley Byerly Turk|url=http://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Bios/ByerlyTurk.htm|website=www.bloodlines.net|access-date=June 3, 2016}}</ref> At the time, Turkish horses were described as descended from "those of Arabia or Persia", but stated that they were longer in the body and of a larger size.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofbritish00whyt#page/68/mode/2up|title=History of the British Turf: from the earliest history to the present day|author=Whyte, James Christie|date=July 1840|access-date=2 June 2016|website=openlibrary.org}}</ref> He was described as a horse of elegance, courage and speed.<ref name=Bloodlines/> Many of his offspring were also noted to have been either bay or black.<ref name="heritage">{{cite web|last1=Peters|first1=Anne|title=Byerley Turk|url=http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/ByerleyTurk.html|website=www.tbheritage.com|access-date=June 3, 2016}}</ref>