Some of Australia’s highest profile jockeys will be in action at The Valley on Friday night, but no hoop will gather more attention than 23-year-old apprentice rider Matthew Poon.
Poon, who was born in Hong Kong, has ridden over 100 winners in South Australia since arriving in Australia in 2015 and has made a big impression on the Adelaide riding ranks. This was most evident at last season’s South Australian Apprentice Awards were he was crowned Dux of the Riding Academy – the pinnacle of five awards he won on the evening.
“I came over in June and I'm in Adelaide for two years. After that, I want to return to Hong Kong and be a professional jockey,” says Poon.
“There are great opportunities for apprentice jockeys in Australia and Adelaide, I'm really happy to be here.”
Apprenticed to leading Morphettville based trainer Richard Jolly, a Group 1 winning jockey himself, Poon has become somewhat of a cult hero Australia-wide from the moment he had his first ride on October 3, 2015. At a small country racetrack in Jamestown, with a population of less than 1,500 residents, Poon had a dream start to his career piloting Sutanoc to victory.
The Cantonese-speaking jockey is currently sitting second – just two wins off the lead – in this season’s South Australian Jockeys’ Premiership and leads the metropolitan division with an impressive 15.9% strike rate. And while he has taken all before him in ‘The City of Churches’, this is an opportunity to broaden his ever-expanding CV.
Weighing in at just 48 kilograms, Poon has ridden on just three Victorian rural racecourses, but has still managed to notch six wins from his 30 rides. This evening will be his first ride at a Victorian metropolitan venue.
Poon’s Australian tenure comes to an end in June where he will return home to Hong Kong to mix it in one the world’s strongest racing jurisdictions.
“Many of the world's best jockeys are based in Hong Kong and even though it's very competitive I would like to go and race with them,” said Poon.
While this will come as a disappointment to many Australian racing fans, you can guarantee he’ll keep punching home winners with a smile until then! We wish Matthew the best of luck aboard the Brad Cole trained Red's Sister Rosie in Race 8.
- Matthew Poon has been flown over from Adelaide by the Moonee Valley Racing Club in conjunction with the Australian Chinese Jockey Club as an Ambassador for tonight’s race meeting.