Matthew Poon Ming-fai has a spring in his step after a bright start to the season and he hopes he can continue his purple patch when he hops aboard Flying Ace in this Sunday’s Group Three Celebration Cup (1,400m).

Poon has fired in four winners from as many meetings to begin the new campaign and heads to Sha Tin’s 10-race card full of confidence, with a solid book of seven rides headlined by David Hall’s sprinter.

The 30-year-old only collected 18 wins at a 4.5 per cent strike rate last term but says his increased fitness level and a positive mindset have been key factors in his red-hot start to the campaign.

“I’m very confident at the moment,” Poon said. “When you ride winners everyone can see – trainers, owners. You can feel people trust you and that makes you confident in yourself.

“I only took a short trip over the summer then came back and started working early. I was really keen to try and get more opportunities and go better than I did last year, so I’ve been doing a lot of work and a lot of fitness and exercise.

“Fortunately, I’ve had a good start so it’s a little bit easier to get a bigger number of race rides. Now I need to keep it up and try to get the best results I can.”

Operating at an 18.5 per cent strike rate and sitting second behind Zac Purton in the jockeys’ championship, Poon will already have one eye on surpassing his career-best tally of 37 wins notched in the 2020-21 season.

The jockey has become hot property in the early stages of the season and his seven rides this weekend come for six different trainers.

He has tasted victory at Group Three level in the city on five occasions and will bid to add to that aboard Flying Ace in the first Group race of the season.

Poon partnered Flying Ace to a perfect four wins from four at the start of the sprinter’s career in the 2021-22 season and is looking forward to getting his chance aboard the seven-year-old.

“I’m very excited I can jump on him and hopefully we can get a good result,” Poon said. “He’s always very consistent and runs very well.

“This time he carries 131 [pounds], which is a little bit of a concern, but I believe he has a lot of ability.”

Poon only featured once during Flying Ace’s 12-race 2023-24 campaign, partnering the gelding into ninth in the Group Three Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (1,000m).

Flying Ace’s sole success of the season came in March’s Class One Rapper Dragon Handicap (1,200m), where he got the better of Howdeepisyourlove and subsequent Group One-winning stablemate Invincible Sage.

The son of Swiss Ace kept on well in the closing stages to finish fifth in the Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m) on the opening day of the season, and Poon is expecting another strong finish this Sunday.

“I think at the start of the race, you can’t ask him too much. You need to give him time to relax and travel, then he’ll give you a really good finish,” said the jockey.