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.
Ethan Brown leads all-the-way on Bois D'argent in the @MyPlatesNSW JRA Plate!@ANeashamRacing @Brown_ethan8 pic.twitter.com/T18R3ZwGj9
— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) April 19, 2025
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.
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! pic.twitter.com/RX22jGbpEY
— 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.
