Latest news with #TomCharlton
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.
The Australian
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Warwick Farm preview: Title fire still burns bright for Anna Roper
Missing the early part of the season put Anna Roper's goal of winning the Sydney Apprentices title behind the Eight ball but she hasn't given up hope and a solid book of rides at Warwick Farm can help her build on her tally. Roper missed the first three months of the current season due to a quad injury that required surgery and then getting kicked by a horse which extended her time off. 'The apprentice premiership was meant to be the target but loosing that much time made it a bit of an issue but at the same time, you never what what's going to happen in this job,' said Roper. 'In the end, it was a case of just getting on with it and do the best I can for the season. Hopefully without any more injuries. The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'It's not impossible. If I can keep riding consistently until the end of the season. 'Obviously Braith (Nock) has a bit of a lead on us but I will give it my best.' One of Roper's leading chances at Warwick Farm is Livin' Thing in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m). The John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding resumed with a handy win on a heavy track at Kembla from Zaragoza who franked the form with a win at the same course last weekend. 'I really have a lot of time for this horse,' Roper said. 'He gave me a very nice feel at Kembla. From the top of the straight, I always thought he would go straight past them but he had a bit of a think about things. Not because he wasn't genuine but rather he was green and didn't know what to do. 'He still managed to win on raw ability. 'He will learn a lot from that run and I think he's a nice horse going forward once he puts it together a bit better. 'I'm excited to be back on board and up to metro grade. Seeing if he is going to be competitive against the better horses.' Roper also combines with O'Shea and Charlton when Natural Deduction contests the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m). The gelding was doing his best work late when a three length seventh behind Seafall over this same track and distance on May 7. 'It was a really good run,' she said. 'Obviously he was first-up over the mile and he was very fresh and got quite keen in the run. 'To finish off the way he did, I was impressed. 'Second-up with that edge off him, he might relax better. He's drawn a better barrier so hopefully I can have him closer in the run. 'His is two from two second-up and should be a good chance. My only concern is the heavy track which he hasn't been tried on.' Roper rode Junebug to victory at Wyong before a third behind stablemate Asgoodassobergets on Gosford Cup Day. The mare drops back to a Benchmark 72 Handicap (2110m). 'She is a great little horse. The wet track is the most important thing for her,' said Roper. 'She is very honest and loves her job. As long as she gets a smooth run, she is easy to ride. 'It was a very good run last start especially as she had to jump from the outside gate and do all the bullocking work to get across to the front. It was a huge effort. 'I really like her in this field, especially come back to midweek grade.' Roper also rides Fear No Evil for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Lady Boss for Ciaron Maher. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Every time trainer Gratz Vella has raised the bar, Good Prize has responded with an even better performance. Good Prize scored a couple of nice wins at Queanbeyan over 1200m and 1460m earlier this preparation, but since stepping up to 1600m, the gelding has been even more impressive. 'He has really found his best form. I haven't done anything different with him on the track, I think he has just matured now,' said Vella. 'Once I got him over a bit longer distance has helped. 'I have a little mate with him – a goat. Ever since I put them together, that's when the results started to come.' It started with a Benchmark 65 on his home track at Canberra on April 2 with a near three length win from The Right Rein and the pair returned 16 days later in a Benchmark 84 with Good Prize beating his rival by over two lengths. Vella asked the gelding to step up to provincial company and set him for a Benchmark 68 at Kembla where he again pout a margin on his rivals, this time a two-and-a-half length win from Strawberry Impact. 'After the second Canberra win, I thought he might need two or three weeks to get over the run because he had going straight to Open company and it wasn't a bad field,' he said. 'He recovered so quickly though. He was eating well, his attitude was still good and he actually come on from the run. 'I was quite happy to go to Kembla and take Coriah (Keatings) to claim three kilos. I thought he was a big chance. 'I thought he was in a bit of trouble there at one stage but once he got his action flowing, he just left them for dead. 'I think he will be better again over 2000 metres but at the moment, we will stick with the 1600 metres where he has been doing a good job.' Vella is happy to give the four-year-old a shot at midweek company in the Drinkwise Mile Benchmark 72 where he has barrier 3. 'I think he's a very good chance again,' he said. 'He hasn't gone backwards since Kembla. He's still a very happy horse. 'He has a nice barrier and Coriah rides him again.' Good Prize opened $7 with TAB Fixed Odds and firmed into $5.50 behind Sounds Unusual at $4.20 and Naval Commission at $5.
Daily Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Warwick Farm preview: Title fire still burns bright for Anna Roper
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Missing the early part of the season put Anna Roper's goal of winning the Sydney Apprentices title behind the Eight ball but she hasn't given up hope and a solid book of rides at Warwick Farm can help her build on her tally. Roper missed the first three months of the current season due to a quad injury that required surgery and then getting kicked by a horse which extended her time off. 'The apprentice premiership was meant to be the target but loosing that much time made it a bit of an issue but at the same time, you never what what's going to happen in this job,' said Roper. 'In the end, it was a case of just getting on with it and do the best I can for the season. Hopefully without any more injuries. The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'It's not impossible. If I can keep riding consistently until the end of the season. 'Obviously Braith (Nock) has a bit of a lead on us but I will give it my best.' One of Roper's leading chances at Warwick Farm is Livin' Thing in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m). The John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding resumed with a handy win on a heavy track at Kembla from Zaragoza who franked the form with a win at the same course last weekend. 'I really have a lot of time for this horse,' Roper said. 'He gave me a very nice feel at Kembla. From the top of the straight, I always thought he would go straight past them but he had a bit of a think about things. Not because he wasn't genuine but rather he was green and didn't know what to do. 'He still managed to win on raw ability. 'He will learn a lot from that run and I think he's a nice horse going forward once he puts it together a bit better. 'I'm excited to be back on board and up to metro grade. Seeing if he is going to be competitive against the better horses.' Roper also combines with O'Shea and Charlton when Natural Deduction contests the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m). The gelding was doing his best work late when a three length seventh behind Seafall over this same track and distance on May 7. 'It was a really good run,' she said. 'Obviously he was first-up over the mile and he was very fresh and got quite keen in the run. 'To finish off the way he did, I was impressed. 'Second-up with that edge off him, he might relax better. He's drawn a better barrier so hopefully I can have him closer in the run. 'His is two from two second-up and should be a good chance. My only concern is the heavy track which he hasn't been tried on.' Roper rode Junebug to victory at Wyong before a third behind stablemate Asgoodassobergets on Gosford Cup Day. The mare drops back to a Benchmark 72 Handicap (2110m). 'She is a great little horse. The wet track is the most important thing for her,' said Roper. 'She is very honest and loves her job. As long as she gets a smooth run, she is easy to ride. 'It was a very good run last start especially as she had to jump from the outside gate and do all the bullocking work to get across to the front. It was a huge effort. 'I really like her in this field, especially come back to midweek grade.' Roper also rides Fear No Evil for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Lady Boss for Ciaron Maher. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Every time trainer Gratz Vella has raised the bar, Good Prize has responded with an even better performance. Good Prize scored a couple of nice wins at Queanbeyan over 1200m and 1460m earlier this preparation, but since stepping up to 1600m, the gelding has been even more impressive. 'He has really found his best form. I haven't done anything different with him on the track, I think he has just matured now,' said Vella. 'Once I got him over a bit longer distance has helped. 'I have a little mate with him – a goat. Ever since I put them together, that's when the results started to come.' It started with a Benchmark 65 on his home track at Canberra on April 2 with a near three length win from The Right Rein and the pair returned 16 days later in a Benchmark 84 with Good Prize beating his rival by over two lengths. Vella asked the gelding to step up to provincial company and set him for a Benchmark 68 at Kembla where he again pout a margin on his rivals, this time a two-and-a-half length win from Strawberry Impact. 'After the second Canberra win, I thought he might need two or three weeks to get over the run because he had going straight to Open company and it wasn't a bad field,' he said. 'He recovered so quickly though. He was eating well, his attitude was still good and he actually come on from the run. 'I was quite happy to go to Kembla and take Coriah (Keatings) to claim three kilos. I thought he was a big chance. 'I thought he was in a bit of trouble there at one stage but once he got his action flowing, he just left them for dead. 'I think he will be better again over 2000 metres but at the moment, we will stick with the 1600 metres where he has been doing a good job.' Vella is happy to give the four-year-old a shot at midweek company in the Drinkwise Mile Benchmark 72 where he has barrier 3. 'I think he's a very good chance again,' he said. 'He hasn't gone backwards since Kembla. He's still a very happy horse. 'He has a nice barrier and Coriah rides him again.' Good Prize opened $7 with TAB Fixed Odds and firmed into $5.50 behind Sounds Unusual at $4.20 and Naval Commission at $5.
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Warwick Farm preview: Talented apprentice Anna Roper keen to make the most of every opportunity
Missing the early part of the season put Anna Roper's goal of winning the Sydney Apprentices title behind the Eight ball but she hasn't given up hope and a solid book of rides at Warwick Farm can help her build on her tally. Roper missed the first three months of the current season due to a quad injury that required surgery and then getting kicked by a horse which extended her time off. 'The apprentice premiership was meant to be the target but loosing that much time made it a bit of an issue but at the same time, you never what what's going to happen in this job,' said Roper. 'In the end, it was a case of just getting on with it and do the best I can for the season. Hopefully without any more injuries. Livin' Thing takes the outside route and wins it comfortably at Kembla Grange! 🙌 @JohnOSheaRacing | @AnnaRoper_ â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 6, 2025 The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'It's not impossible. If I can keep riding consistently until the end of the season. 'Obviously Braith (Nock) has a bit of a lead on us but I will give it my best.' One of Roper's leading chances at Warwick Farm is Livin' Thing in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m). The John O'Shea and Tom Charlton -trained gelding resumed with a handy win on a heavy track at Kembla from Zaragoza who franked the form with a win at the same course last weekend. 'I really have a lot of time for this horse,' Roper said. 'He gave me a very nice feel at Kembla. From the top of the straight, I always thought he would go straight past them but he had a bit of a think about things. Not because he wasn't genuine but rather he was green and didn't know what to do. 'He still managed to win on raw ability. 'He will learn a lot from that run and I think he's a nice horse going forward once he puts it together a bit better. 'I'm excited to be back on board and up to metro grade. Seeing if he is going to be competitive against the better horses.' Roper also combines with O'Shea and Charlton when Natural Deduction contests the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m). Junebug salutes in the Wyong opener with @AnnaRoper_ in the saddle for the @ANeashamRacing stable! ðŸ'� â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 17, 2025 The gelding was doing his best work late when a three length seventh behind Seafall over this same track and distance on May 7. 'It was a really good run,' she said. 'Obviously he was first-up over the mile and he was very fresh and got quite keen in the run. 'To finish off the way he did, I was impressed. 'Second-up with that edge off him, he might relax better. He's drawn a better barrier so hopefully I can have him closer in the run. 'His is two from two second-up and should be a good chance. My only concern is the heavy track which he hasn't been tried on.' Roper rode Junebug to victory at Wyong before a third behind stablemate Asgoodassobergets on Gosford Cup Day. The mare drops back to a Benchmark 72 Handicap (2110m). 'She is a great little horse. The wet track is the most important thing for her,' said Roper. 'She is very honest and loves her job. As long as she gets a smooth run, she is easy to ride. 'It was a very good run last start especially as she had to jump from the outside gate and do all the bullocking work to get across to the front. It was a huge effort. 'I really like her in this field, especially come back to midweek grade.' Roper also rides Fear No Evil for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Lady Boss for Ciaron Maher. â– â– â– â– â– Every time trainer Gratz Vella has raised the bar, Good Prize has responded with an even better performance. Good Prize scored a couple of nice wins at Queanbeyan over 1200m and 1460m earlier this preparation, but since stepping up to 1600m, the gelding has been even more impressive. 'He has really found his best form. I haven't done anything different with him on the track, I think he has just matured now,' said Vella. 'Once I got him over a bit longer distance has helped. 'I have a little mate with him – a goat. Ever since I put them together, that's when the results started to come.' It started with a Benchmark 65 on his home track at Canberra on April 2 with a near three length win from The Right Rein and the pair returned 16 days later in a Benchmark 84 with Good Prize beating his rival by over two lengths. Good Prize gets the money in the Canberra opener for local trainer Gratz Vella! â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 2, 2025 Vella asked the gelding to step up to provincial company and set him for a Benchmark 68 at Kembla where he again pout a margin on his rivals, this time a two-and-a-half length win from Strawberry Impact. 'After the second Canberra win, I thought he might need two or three weeks to get over the run because he had going straight to Open company and it wasn't a bad field,' he said. 'He recovered so quickly though. He was eating well, his attitude was still good and he actually come on from the run. 'I was quite happy to go to Kembla and take Coriah (Keatings) to claim three kilos. I thought he was a big chance. 'I thought he was in a bit of trouble there at one stage but once he got his action flowing, he just left them for dead. 'I think he will be better again over 2000 metres but at the moment, we will stick with the 1600 metres where he has been doing a good job.' Vella is happy to give the four-year-old a shot at midweek company in the Drinkwise Mile Benchmark 72 where he has barrier 3. 'I think he's a very good chance again,' he said. 'He hasn't gone backwards since Kembla. He's still a very happy horse. 'He has a nice barrier and Coriah rides him again.'
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.'
