Matthew Poon Ming-fai’s career has been a bit of a roller coaster, but it’s fair to say he’s back and firing on all cylinders.

When Fortune Whiskey won in Class Four company at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, it was more than just another winner for the 31-year-old rider.

Poon had secured his 19th victory of the 2024-25 campaign, moving him up to fourth in the jockeys’ championship and more importantly surpassing last season’s win tally in double-quick time.

“I can’t complain at all,” Poon said. “It’s just about keeping my head down, staying focused and doing the best I can.”

Life in Hong Kong was smooth sailing for Poon when the bright-eyed youngster returned from a sparkling stint in Australia nearly eight years ago.

As a 23-year-old, he entered Hong Kong’s riding ranks with an unparalleled record for an incoming apprentice with an astonishing 117 wins under his belt.

Poon had also become somewhat of a cult hero Down Under courtesy of his red-hot form and catchy nickname ‘The Poon Train’.

He had transitioned from a champion apprentice at the end of his first season to a serious challenger for the Adelaide premiership, for senior riders, in his second. No other Jockey Club apprentice had even ridden at metropolitan level in Australia, let alone come close to matching Poon’s win record.

Eventually, he was denied a crack at being crowned champion jockey in the South Australian metropolitan premiership, with the Jockey Club hooking him back to ride in Hong Kong three months earlier than planned while he was seriously in contention in second place.

Poon joined the Hong Kong riding ranks as one of the most exciting prospects the city had ever produced in March 2017 and immediately delivered on the mountain of expectation.

He was hot property and outrode his 10-pound claim faster than any apprentice in the last 25 years. He took only 112 rides at 14 meetings to pass the milestone.

But fast forward seven years to the end of the 2023-24 campaign and Poon had gone from being in the prime of his career to a mid-table battler, fighting for every ride he could get his hands on.

A gradual decline followed his career-best tally of 37 wins in the 2020-21 campaign and he finished last season with just 18, his worst return to date.

“I’ve never been under that sort of pressure,” Poon said. “I had no support, I couldn’t get any rides and I couldn’t ride a winner – it felt like I was at the worst I’d been.

“When I came back from Australia everything was so smooth, but I realised then everything was different.”

After the initial disappointment passed, Poon’s level-headed professionalism and determination allowed him to think more clearly in the build up to this season.

“It was a really good lesson to help me mature and I came back this year more motivated than ever,” Poon said. “I had nothing to lose because I couldn’t do any worse than that, so I tried to work as hard as I could before this season to change it.

“Of course, fitness is a massive thing and I do a lot of work in the gym to make sure I’m at the top of my game. But I also had to look at the mental side of things to stay positive.

“I’ve made a big effort to do more work than before and it’s helped me a lot. Even with my recovery, I recover a lot quicker now than I did last season and feel a lot fresher every day.

“Every jockey works so hard so you have to do more and be more focused if you want to find out what the problem is and succeed.”

Poon’s training regime and increased focus on his mental well-being have allowed the rider to put a couple of disappointing seasons behind him and turn a corner.

On Wednesday night at Happy Valley, Poon not only added a winner to his collection for the season but also took home the jockey challenge thanks to two runner-up efforts and a pair of thirds.

He has ridden winners for more trainers than everyone bar Zac Purton and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu this season, has an improving horse in Bravehearts that could take him to feature success and is on track for his best-ever season in Hong Kong.

Of course, there is a long way to go in the 2024-25 campaign. But for now, ‘The Poon Train’ looks to be heading full steam ahead.