Latest news with #MatthewPoon
The Standard
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Standard
Poon in dreamland after Group 1 call-up
Matthew Poon will ride Klondike in next week's G1 Doomben Cup in Australia. (File photo)
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Matthew Poon ‘can't wait' to chase Group One glory in the Doomben Cup
Matthew Poon is ready to take his chance at Doomben on Saturday. Photos: Kenneth Chan Matthew Poon Ming-fai is relishing the challenge as he gets ready to partner Klondike in Saturday's Group One Doomben Cup (2,000m). Poon, who sits on 34 wins for the season, will head to Brisbane to ride the Galileo galloper, who was a smart horse in the United Kingdom before shipping to Australia. Winner of the Listed Grand Cup Stakes (2,800m) at York, he produced his best performance for top trainer William Haggas when running out a convincing winner of the Group Three Prix de Reux (2,400m) at Deauville in August. He recently transferred into the care of joint trainers John O'Shea and Tom Charlton and did not immediately hit the ground running, beating just one of the 11 finishers home in the Group Three JRA Plate (2,000m) won by last year's Doomben Cup hero Bois D'Argent. That was his first run since September 2024, however, and Poon believes the best is firmly yet to come from the five-year-old. 'I know he's a very good stayer who can handle two miles, so 2,000m is no problem for him – I think he will improve a lot for his first run in terms of fitness and experience,' said Poon. 'His second run in Australia should be much better than his local debut and I hope he will run well from a good draw in barrier five. 'I'm very thankful to the owner [Matthew Li Man-hei] who has given me the opportunity. He asked me to come ride him and I said 'of course'. I can't wait to take the chance. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. Matthew Poon is relishing the chance to head to Australia for a Group One ride. 'I fly across on Friday, will ride the race on Saturday and then return to Hong Kong on Sunday ready for Sha Tin.' The race is one of three stakes contests being simulcast from Doomben, with the Group Two The Roses (2,000m) and Group Three HKJC World Pool BRC Sprint (1,350m) making up the rest of the billing. Also on Saturday, the Group One Irish 2,000 Guineas (1,600m) headlines a nine-race offering from The Curragh in Ireland. The race revolves around Group One 2,000 Guineas (1,600m) runner-up Field Of Gold, who bids to avenge his narrow defeat to Ruling Court at Newmarket. RULING COURT strikes in the @Betfred 2000 Guineas! — Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 3, 2025 Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the Kingman galloper got going slightly too late when beaten half a length in the first Classic of the season, prompting connections to replace jockey Kieran Shoemark with Irish champion jockey Colin Keane. He sets the form standard, but will be heavily challenged by fellow Juddmonte-owned galloper Cosmic Year, who looked the real deal when landing the Listed King Charles II Stakes (1,400m) at Newmarket with a late burst and looks certain to suit the new trip. Ireland's biggest hope of keeping the 2,000 Guineas at home is Jessie Harrington's Hotazhell, who ended last season by beating leading Group One Epsom Derby (2,400m) fancy Delacroix in the Group One Futurity Stakes (1,600m) at Doncaster. His lack of race fitness is a concern, however, and the chief threat may come from Aidan O'Brien's Officer, the Listed Tetrarch Stakes (1,600m) winner who is totally unexposed and looks to have plenty more to offer at the trip.
News.com.au
19-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Co-trainers John O'Shea, Tom Charlton are all aboard the ‘Poon Train' as star Hong Kong Matthew Poon partners Klondike in Doomben Cup
All aboard the 'Poon Train' bound for Saturday's Group 1 Doomben Cup. Hong Kong jockey Matthew Poon, who cut his teeth as an apprentice under South Australian trainer Richard Jolly, will ride English import Klondike for co-trainers John O'Shea and Tom Charlton in the $1m feature race over 2000m. And Jolly believes riding the 50-1 chance in the Doomben Cup will be like a walk in the park for the 31-year-old Poon compared to the intense pressure of racing in the Asian mecca of Hong Kong. Poon worked under Jolly for two years from 2015, riding 117 winners and being crowned South Australia Champion Apprentice jockey in the 2015-16 season. 'I still keep in contact with him regularly on WhatsApp,' Jolly said. 'Me and my mates usually go over there for the International meeting (in December) and catch up with him. He's a good kid. 'He progressed through the ranks really quickly (in South Australia) and has become one of the top 10 jockeys in Hong Kong.' Charlton and O'Shea have only been in charge of five-year-old Klondike for just one race – the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) at Randwick last month when he finished 10th – after the lightly-raced gelding was transferred from William Haggas ' stable. @yorkracecourse Listed success for the son of Galileo 🥇 — The Racing App (@TheRacingApp) June 15, 2024 • 'They'll have to carry me back': Cejay Graham dreams of Doomben Cup upset 'He's a nice staying horse, he wants further than 2000m,' Charlton said about the son of Galileo. 'He'll be one where we'll probably see the best of him in the spring.' Charlton said the Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Melbourne Cup (3200m) were possible spring targets for Klondike. Klondike is a $101 chance in the TAB in its all-in market for the Doomben Cup ahead of final acceptances at 9am on Tuesday. Poon secured the Doomben Cup ride on Klondike through the horse's owner, Matthew Li Man-hei, who asked him to take on the hit-and-run mission. Currently seventh in the Hong Kong Jockeys Premiership with 34 victories, Poon nabbed a career-best win aboard Straight Arron in the $A1m Group 2 Chairman's Trophy (1600m) at Sha Tin in late March. But don't for a moment think that Poon will be letting success go to his head. 'He's a really good lad, there was no fanfare about him,' Jolly said. 'All he did was eat, sleep and ride. He was really focused on where he wanted to go in his career and he's achieved it. 'I couldn't say a bad thing about him. He's got to where he has through his determination and he just wanted to strive to get better all the time.'
South China Morning Post
09-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Matthew Poon shakes off barren month to bring personal-best season back into focus
Matthew Poon is back in form after two winners in the past week. Photos: Kenneth Chan Matthew Poon Ming-fai finished March on top of the world before crashing back down to earth during a barren April, but the wheels are very much turning again for 'The Poon Train'. Poon's career-best victory aboard Straight Arron in March 30's Group Two Chairman's Trophy (1,600m) was his 29th of the season. With 30 meetings remaining in the campaign, the 31-year-old had every right to be aiming high as he set his sights on sailing past his previous personal-best campaign of 37 winners. Awaiting in April, however, was a 75-ride run of outs that tested Poon's resolve and had him wondering whether he'd trouble his personal best after all. Matthew Poon wins his first Group 2! Straight Arron returns to form in the Chairman's Trophy at Sha Tin for Ricky Yiu... 👏#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 30, 2025 'April was a tough month but I just stayed positive. I tried not to overthink things and I just stayed positive,' said the jockey. 'May started and I had a bit of luck and hopefully there is more to come.' After snapping his drought aboard $10 chance Ka Ying Superb at Sha Tin last Sunday, Poon was in the winners again at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, lifting Keefy home at $19. Now, with 19 meetings to go and Poon sitting on 31 victories, that number 37 has come into focus again. 'That's my little target for the rest of the season. I will do my best. I will stay focused and hopefully I can beat my personal best,' said Poon, who hopes to ride Straight Arron in the final Group One of the campaign, the Champions & Chater Cup, on May 25. Poon has eight chances to add to his win haul and consolidate his seventh-placed standing in the jockeys' premiership at Sha Tin on Saturday, with Lady's Choice one galloper heading to the campaign's 70th fixture in strong form. A Class Three winner under top weight two starts ago, Lady's Choice handled his return to Class Two company with aplomb to finish a close second behind Gustosisimo on April 13. Both of those efforts came at the same course and distance as Saturday's Class Two Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road Handicap (1,200m), where Lady's Choice will need to be on his game against a crack field featuring the likes of Fast Network, Bottomuptogether, Wunderbar and Invincible Shield. 'He's quite a consistent and honest horse. I believe in him and hopefully he can put up his best performance. The field is strong but I think he's a chance if he does his best,' said Poon, who rides Lady's Choice for the first time on race day. Knockout win! Lady's Choice can't be caught for Derek Leung and Michael Chang at Sha Tin... #4YOSeries | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 23, 2025 Another last-start runner-up among Poon's arsenal is Spangle Fortune, who will look to go one better in the Class Four Pok Fu Lam Public Riding School Handicap (1,650m) on the dirt. 'He's not getting any younger but he's held his fitness well. I've galloped him since his last race and I feel like he's still healthy and not tired, so hopefully he can get another win under his belt,' said Poon of Spangle Fortune. Casa Legend, Call To Command, Time To Fire, Flying Double, Allcash and Meowth round out Poon's book.
