The New Year Race Meeting starts on Monday and will be continued on Tuesday and Wednesday.
First sad-dung bell each day will be at 1130 a.m. with a tiffin interval of about one hour, racing commencing again at L30 p.m.
This meeting closes the 1938 racing season which can be looked back upon with considerable satisfaction as indicating that Shanghai racing is coming back {o its own again and giving a most hopeful outlook for the 1939 season.
As there will be no issue of the "North-China Daily News" on Monday morning, my forecasts as to probable winners for that day must be given now.
The racing opens with a hándicap at 7 furlongs for 3rd class ponies, eighteen of which entered, so that a feld of about 12 may be expected to weigh out. White Major is top weight at 160 1o. but I do not think this will stop him from being the winner, with Mayorship and Gilt Edge {o place.
The 2nd class ponies race follows, and is also a handicap at 7 furlongs with 18 entered, so that here again a good sized field -may be out. Sky Raider at 150 lb. may win, though Receivership 151 1b. and doing Slow 146 1. are both likely to press him in the run in.
The Novice Riders race at 9 furlongs should give E. B. Moller a win as he has the choice of three good mounts.
"A" and "B" Handicap The "B" class of the handicap for all ponies is to be run off in two sec-lions. Likely ones to win are Sammy, The Midget, Cherrylight, and Corps Cavalry.
The "A" is the important race of ihe day as here will be seen competing Champion winners of 1937 and 1938, as well as other winners of many important races during the last two months.
The handicapper has exercised careful thought in his allotting of weights to the different ponies, resulting in at least six to eight of them seeming io have a fair prospect of being the winner.
Merrylight tops the handicap at 7 1. up whilst Mou Tan Hua is bottom weight with 8 lb. allowance. Magic Circle, who as Sparkling Morn won the 1937 Spring Champions and has not started since, gets in at his weight or inches, at which weight he should be the winner if he is able to produce lhe form he displayed in the Spring of 1937. He then started three times only winning on each occasion easily, his final effort being in the Champions which he won by 1% length in 2.36.
Others to be considered are Night Express 161 lb. White Parade 158 Ib. Felixstowe 149 lb. Bober 149 Ib. and Busted Straight 146 Ib. so it can easily be seen a close and exciting finish may come about before the winner's number goes up.
choice is Merrylight and I stand by him to win, with Felixstowe to place. The final race is at half a mile with penalties and allowances that admits of Sober Morn weighing out with a 30 Ib. advantage in weight over Frostylight. The Cire stable have a strong hand, as five out of the 13 entered hail from this stable. Rye may start, and if he does he will make it hot for the best. But I think a "light" pony will win, Libertylight for choice.
Tuesday and Wednesday Racing As most of the races on Tuesday and Wednesday are handicaps, weights for which may not be known before the morning of the race, I cannot here do any forecasting as to winners, other than to say my present impression is Merrylight, will repeat his last November's success, and win the New Year Handicap Champions on Wednesday.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.