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Last Day Double Caps off a Great Season for Poon

A double on the last day of the Hong Kong racing season has capped off a remarkable twelve months for apprentice Matthew Poon.

Poon gained a cult following in Australia during the year and a half he was based in Adelaide and was affectionately known around the country as the 'Poon Train.' 

In his time in Australia Poon rode 117 winners and was crowned the Dux of the UBET South Australian Apprentice Academy in 2016 after his 51 wins in his first season.

Poon started the 2016-17 in fine form, riding 65 winners in the seven and a half months before returning to Hong Kong. When he left Australia he was second on the South Australian Metropolitan Jockey Premiership and remarkably he still sits second in the overall South Australian Jockey Premiership with two weeks to go in the season.

UBET Adelaide Cup Day was Poon's last race day in Australia and since his return to his native Hong Kong he has ridden 22 winners in four months.

In those four months he recorded some very impressive statistics.

Poon rode a winner in 13 of his 14 race meetings since his return home and his strike rate of 22 winners from 121 rides saw him finish with the equal second best strike rate of all the Hong Kong based jockeys.

His 18% strike rate was only bettered by the 'Magic Man' Joao Moreira who rode at 24%, while Australian expat Zac Purton also rode at 18% during the season.

His 22 wins for the season saw him finish in 12th spot in the Hong Kong Jockey's Rankings, a great effort after only four months of riding. 

In the season break, Poon will head to Singapore on August 1 to begin a two-week stint riding for Shane Baertschiger. The opportunity to ride in Singapore is part of the prize for winning the UBET South Australian Apprentice Academy Dux award. He joins the likes of Jamie Kah and Jake Toeroek to ride in Singapore after taking out the Dux title.

As he continues to make a name for himself in Hong Kong, look out for Poon to continue his rise up the ranks in his homeland next season. 

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