Matthew Poon has been handed the plum ride on Voyage Bubble in next month’s Sha Tin Trophy after Ricky Yiu confirmed his stable star’s regular partner, James McDonald, will not be available for the Group 2 contest over a mile.
Poon, who has spent plenty of mornings keeping the saddle warm for McDonald in Voyage Bubble’s trackwork and barrier trials, has been rewarded by Yiu and the Sunshine And Moonlight Syndicate with the ride aboard last season’s Triple Crown winner for his seasonal reappearance on October 19.
“Matthew has done a lot of work with him and we’ve given him the ride,” Yiu told Idol Horse. “He’s trialled him a lot and we thought it was fair to give it to him and the owners are pleased for that.
“James won’t be here on the day and it’s nice to support the local boys.”
McDonald is likely to ride a leading contender in the A$20 million G1 The Everest at Randwick a day earlier – at this stage poised to choose between star Chris Waller-trained mares Joliestar and Lady Shenandoah – as part of a busy spring for Australia’s leading rider. He will return to Hong Kong on a short term stint from November 12 through to December 23.
Voyage Bubble enjoyed a remarkable 2024-25 campaign, becoming the first horse in over 30 years to sweep Hong Kong’s Triple Crown thanks to his wins in the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m), G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) and G1 Champions & Chater Cup (2400m).
With five Group 1 victories under his belt, Yiu’s seven-year-old will step out in the Sha Tin Trophy under top weight of 135 pounds before looking ahead to November’s G2 Jockey Club Mile and December’s G1 Hong Kong Mile.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Poon, who will look to secure his second career Group Two win on October 19. “He’s a super horse and I’m glad to get on him in a race.
“I’m very thankful to the owners and Ricky. I know the horse well because I’ve ridden him a lot before, so hopefully we can give them a good result.”
Yiu also confirmed that Voyage Bubble was in fine fettle ahead of his reappearance. The gelding enjoyed a summer up at the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s mainland facility in Conghua and returned to Sha Tin on September 9.
“He’s doing really well,” Yiu said. “He trialled well last time at Conghua and he’ll trial once more before the Sha Tin Trophy. It will be good to get him back out there and we’ll look ahead at the usual races over a mile before the new year.” ∎
