Matthew Poon Ming-fai has been suspended for two meetings for attempting to hit Derek Leung Ka-chun with his whip during a Conghua trial last week.
In a hearing at Sha Tin on Sunday, stewards found that Poon “did intentionally extend his left arm out towards Leung in an attempt to make contact”.
Poon, who was riding Qingyuan Star, went for Leung after he “accidentally struck Poon with his whip as he was riding his mount [Manaphy] out” near the 200m and again near the 50m in batch 10 of Friday morning’s Conghua trials.
“Whilst stewards accepted the contact by Leung was accidental, he was advised that he should, wherever possible, ensure his whip arm does not extend too far away from his body, which may result in contact with another rider or horse,” reads the stewards report.
“Poon was found guilty of using his whip in an improper manner in that after being accidentally struck by the whip of Leung, he did intentionally extend his left arm out in an attempt to make contact with Leung”.
Poon will miss the feature meeting at Sha Tin on February 23 and the Happy Valley fixture on February 26.
“In assessing penalty, stewards considered that the incident occurred in a barrier trial and also considered Poon’s excellent record in relation to similar conduct.”
Warrior’s new wheels
Danny Shum Chap-shing is planning to pull out all the stops to give Romantic Warrior the best possible chance of tasting Group One Saudi Cup (1,800m) glory next month, including sourcing a special pair of horseshoes which are banned in Hong Kong.
The superstar galloper is set to make his first start on the dirt in the world’s richest race, worth US$20 million, in Riyadh on February 22.
To help with the transition to the surface, the trainer is hoping to test out a pair of “grip shoes”, which will help Romantic Warrior get through the testing Riyadh dirt track.
In an ideal world, Shum would give one of Romantic Warrior’s stablemates a run out in them on the Sha Tin dirt to assess their effectiveness.
However, the specific shoes are banned for use in Hong Kong – including in barrier trials – meaning Shum is relying on permission from the Jockey Club to test them in a jump out.
“I need to check if I can get approval for the grip shoes,” Shum said. “They will hopefully help him jump [faster].
“I want to see if they make any difference, maybe in a jump out, before we try them over in Saudi Arabia.
“They are not allowed in Hong Kong even in a trial, so hopefully I am allowed to try them on another horse.”
While Shum confirmed Romantic Warrior’s travel plans are still up in the air due to potential Lunar New Year delays, he is hopeful they will be confirmed as soon as possible.
“There are a lot of people travelling over Chinese New Year so they said there might be a delay. I’m not really too sure why, but I’ve told Saudi and they will let me know as soon as possible,” he said.
