Earliest meeting: July 1730
Final meeting: Tuessday 18th July 1769
Racing first took place at Prescot in the Borough of Knowsley, 8 miles East of Liverpool, in the 1730s. The 4 mile course was built on the Knowsley Hall estate owned by the Earl of Derby. He was a keen racing enthusiast and built racing stables at the Hall in 1731. Racing and trials continued for almost 40 years and a 3 day meeting took place in July 1767, with the customary Ordinaries being served at both the Old and the New Legs of Man Inn, with an Assembly each night at the Town Hall. The Legs of Man Inn was of particular importance in the local area as it was from here that a daily stagecoach left at 9 am for the Angel Inn, on Dale Street in Manchester, to return at 5 pm. This would have helped boost crowd sizes on race days. The final day of racing was on Tuesday 18th July 1769 when the concluding Purse saw Mr Hudson score with Dart. Today the extensive grounds on which the racecourse stood contain Knowsley Safari Park and the Stanley House Stud, which has produced 20 Classic winners in the past century.
A 4 mile course on the Knowsley Estate. Today the extensive grounds on which the racecourse stood contains Knowsley Safari Park and the Stanley House Stud from which 20 Classic winners have come in the last century.
Much of the information about this course has been found using internet research and is in the public domain. However, useful research sources have been:-
London Illustrated News
Racing Illustrated 1895-1899
The Sporting & Dramatic Illustrated
Northern Turf History Volumes 1-4 by J.Fairfax-Blakeborough
The Sporting Magazine
A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8
Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727
