The course at Kersal Moor was undulating and about a mile in circumference round three low hills. John Byrom (1692-1763), the owner of Kersal Cell, was greatly opposed to the racing and wrote a pamphlet against it, but racing continued for another fifteen years until, probably through Dr Byrom's influence, it was stopped in 1746, the year of the Jacobite rising. After this there is known to have been at least one race in 1750; regular fixtures recommenced in 1759, and were then held every year. A grandstand was built by subscription in 1777, followed by a ladies' stand equipped for refreshments, in 1780. In 1840 the course was described as having a grandstand and a number of other buildings and a fine run in. By this time two meetings were held annually — the long-standing Whit races, which attracted over 100,000 spectators, and another meeting in August. The Kersal Moor course closed permanently in 1847 when the Manchester Racecourse Committee's lease ran out and was not renewed.