“Positivity”, “Pressure” and “Patience”: The Rebirth Of Matthew Poon
Ahead of his Group 1 ride in Australia this weekend, Matthew Poon tells Idol Horse about his quiet fight through the toughest season of his career and his deliberate shift in mentality.
“Positivity”, “Pressure” and “Patience”: The Rebirth Of Matthew Poon
Ahead of his Group 1 ride in Australia this weekend, Matthew Poon tells Idol Horse about his quiet fight through the toughest season of his career and his deliberate shift in mentality.
20 May, 2025
MATTHEW POON has always been a smiling presence at trackwork, but last season that smile rarely made it to raceday. Winners were elusive, rides were scarce, and belief was in dangerously short supply.
“I’ve never been under that kind of pressure,” Poon tells Idol Horse on a drizzly Tuesday morning at Sha Tin. “I was struggling for winners and couldn’t get many rides – my mindset was just negative.”
Poon is rinsing his mud-splattered visor after partnering Voyage Bubble in a gentle tune-up ahead of the star’s historic Triple Crown bid in the G1 Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) this Saturday. Unlike last season, there’s a buoyancy to the 31-year-old rider – not just in the saddle, but in the way he talks and in the way he carries himself at Sha Tin or Happy Valley.
“Compared to last season, where I had quite a few bad moments, everything is going well,” Poon says. “I’ve managed to gain some momentum and it’s been smoother. More than anything though, I’m definitely happier and more confident all around.”
That happiness and confidence has led to the rider collecting 34 wins this term – he needs four more from the remaining 16 meetings to eclipse his previous career-best of 37 in the 2020-21 campaign – as he has forged a resurgence on the back of his worst season to date.
“It was tough and the first half of last season was terrible,” he said. “It can happen in Hong Kong and positivity was the thing that I knew would help. Being more positive towards racing, surrounding myself with positive people and doing things that I enjoy outside of racing.”
This time last year, Poon said was at the “lowest point” of his career. He closed the 2023-24 campaign with 18 wins – his lowest total to date – as opportunities dried up, confidence drained and the immense pressure of Hong Kong’s unforgiving circuit pressed in from all sides.
It was a far cry from the bubbly and bright-eyed apprentice that returned to Hong Kong with a weight of expectation after a stellar stint in Australia in 2017. Earning the nickname ‘The Poon Train’ Down Under, he collected 117 wins, a champion apprentice title and became a serious challenger for the Adelaide premiership before the Hong Kong Jockey Club called him back early.
But making the step up to Hong Kong is a huge challenge. Here, the 23-year-old Poon was suddenly competing with some of the top riders in the world and finding himself boxed in between Zac Purton on one side and Joao Moreira on the other. He was also having to tackle the challenge of operating without a manager or agent.
“Hong Kong is a very unique place and for an apprentice moving over from Australia it can be incredibly tough,” Poon said. “The pressure, the amount of strain on your mind – it’s not just about your riding.
“When I was in Australia, all I had to focus on was riding well and my manager could filter out all the negative stuff. But in Hong Kong, you have to deal with all your rides, face all the feedback and then you have to face getting kicked off horses.”
He thrived under the early pressure, riding out his 10-pound claim in just 14 meetings – faster than any rider in 25 years – but started to falter after the 2020-21 season. Poon’s numbers declined and the jockey became very aware of the sapping pressure cooker environment of Hong Kong racing.
“Hong Kong makes you grow up pretty quickly,” he adds. “You have to learn how to deal with all of that and have patience, then everything becomes a lot clearer, but it’s not easy.”
That sense of clarity came for Poon towards the end of last season when Ricky Yiu’s stable offered him some much-needed support.
“Ricky and the yard gave me some great support and kickstarted a bit of momentum for me to finish the season off with,” Poon said. “Then I just thought to myself that I really don’t want to be in a bad situation again like I was – it couldn’t get much worse.”
So before this season kicked off in September, he recalibrated, revisiting his love for football and tennis. He laughed more, thought less and spent more time with people who lifted him. Slowly but surely, the balance returned.
“I found other exercise outside of riding has been really good for my mindset,” Poon said. “You can’t always just think about work and racing because it plays on your mind.
“Mainly I love to play tennis and soccer. Playing with big groups of people and having a good chat away from racing has been brilliant for me. I’m not the kind of person who likes sitting down with my own thoughts and trying to sort things out like that. Things can just play on your mind that way. I prefer communicating with people, playing team sport and getting stress out of my system that way.”
Poon cut his Summer break short to return to trackwork before the season and start his training programme in the gym earlier than usual, for which he has been reaping the rewards.
“I also feel a lot fitter and my recovery is a lot better,” he added. “After riding I can recover better and feel ready to go again.”
His success in the saddle has taken on new heights this season thanks to a first Group 2 win aboard Straight Arron in March as well as being trusted aboard some of Hong Kong’s elite gallopers in barrier trials – namely Voyage Bubble and Lucky Sweynesse.
His win tally is all the more impressive when you consider he hasn’t ridden a single winner for the top two handlers in the trainers’ championship: John Size and David Hayes.
For Poon, this season has been about “working hard and enjoying” his time in and out of the saddle, which is something he also hopes to do when he flies over to Australia to tick something off his bucket list in this weekend’s G1 Doomben Cup (2000m).
On Saturday, Poon will make his Group 1 debut Down Under when he climbs aboard Klondike in a full-circle moment for the rider who lit up Adelaide almost a decade ago. While he acknowledges the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding faces a tough task, the jockey heads to Queensland full of optimism.
“I’m very excited for it and really pleased to get the opportunity to go back to Australia,” Poon said. “Riding in a Group 1 over there was on my list as something I had to tick off, so I can’t wait.
“It’s almost 10 years since I started riding over there so hopefully I can get some good experience there. It’s a different track and I’ll be up against different riders so I think it will be good for me. I know it will be a tough race but I’ll try my best for the best result.”
Back at Sha Tin, as the morning’s work winds down, Poon knows there’s still so much he wants to achieve – a Group 1 win at the top of that list.
But for now, he’s moving forward with clarity, and whether it’s at Sha Tin or under the lights at Happy Valley, his smile is back – and crucially, it feels authentic. ∎
