TIENTSIN RACECOURSE
I am grateful to Pam Borland who has sent the pictures of races at Tientsin in the early 1920’s and comments, ‘My grandparents lived in Tientsin from 1900 to 1926 and at 88 Racecourse Road for the last few years. My grandfather, Frederick Thomson, who worked for Ralph Harper & Co, was a keen follower of the horses and my Aunt told the story of him winning the Shanghai Sweepstakes with a horse called "Pendaris". I am not sure if this race took place in Tientsin.  My grandfather was buried at Canton Cemetery in 1925.’

I am very grateful to Desmond Power and Leonard Rosenberg for providing the photos, badge and text shown opposite.

The badge show opposite was a members badge labelled TRC, for Tientsin Race Club, which one needed to show to the Sikh Guard at the entrance gate in order to gain admission to the exclusive enclosure. I am grateful to Desmond Power for providing the badge.
Desmond Power provided the photograph shown above which is of his father, Stephen Power, in the foreground at one of the Imperial racedays at Tientsin in the 1910-11 season. The photo shown above is of Desmond Powers father Stephen and mother Grace at Tientsin races in 1917.
I am very grateful to Leonard Rosenberg for the photo taken on 15th June 1919 showing his cousin Nathan Rashin with 3 charming companions. Nathan was a businessman in China as late as the 1950s, and the lady on his left appears to be his wife, Liza. However, is anyone able to identify the other 2 ladies pictured?
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The photo above shows Zipp, owned by Desmond Power's stepfather Jim Lambert, winning the Championship at Tientsin in 1936.
I am grateful to Desmond Power for providing an extract from the 1938 racecard, together with a photo of some of the jockeys riding at the meeting
Desmond thinks he is able to identify all of the jockeys. Back row left to right:Morrie Feeney, Jim Lambert, Hugh Holden, A W Brun, Robert Samarcq, Dr Hoch (the vet for the TRC), V Haimovitch. In the mid row: A Karamzin, A P Cooke, Alec Mackay, N M Yadrishmikoff, O Panoff. The front row: Baron A von Delwig, Andy Ostroumoff, Tony Murray and J S Jones.
The picture shown above is of jockey Mike Boycott on a winner being led in by its Swiss owner O Joerg. Mike died in England in about 2008, but was born and raised in Tientsin. He rode there and also at Paomachang in Peking, as well as Shanghai. After the War he rode in Hong Kong where his success as a jockey led him to higher things when he was appointed a Steward of Hong Kong Race Club.
The photos shown above are of the new TRC grandstand, built long after the one shown on the previous page, with refugees taking refuge there during the great flood of 1939. The race ponies are shown in the picture on the left, taken to safety by their mafoos (stableboys).