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| Sumita Pawar |
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When Ricky Yiu Poon-fai takes a horse on the road, he means business.
With triumphs in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Japan, the seasoned Hong Kong trainer boasts an impressive track record overseas.
Excluding his less successful ventures to Macau, Yiu has secured four victories from 11 overseas entries, boasting a remarkable 50 percent strike rate in Dubai alone.
The crowning moment came with Amber Sky's victory in the 2014 Gr.1 Al Quoz Sprint over 1,000m, followed by Dynamic Blitz's win in the Group Three Al Shindagha Sprint on the Meydan dirt in 2011.
Much like in his native Hong Kong, where he primarily triumphed with sprinters before the emergence of Voyage Bubble, Yiu's overseas successes have typically been at distances of 1,200m or shorter. This includes Ultra Fantasy's victory in Japan's prestigious Gr.1 Sprinters Stakes.
However, Yiu has defied this trend at home with Voyage Bubble's impressive wins in the Classic Mile, Hong Kong Derby, and Gr.1 Stewards' Cup.
Now, he's gearing up to test his stable star in the Group One Dubai Turf, possibly his toughest challenge yet on the global stage. Facing stiff competition from recent Group one Arima Kinen victor Do Deuce and three-time Dubai Turf champion Lord North, a win for Voyage Bubble would make history as Hong Kong's first winner of the nine-furlong test. It would also mark the city's first Meydan triumph over distances greater than 1,200m since Vengeance Of Rain's memorable victory in the 2007 Gr.1 Dubai Sheema Classic.
Despite the challenge, Yiu remains undaunted, ready to take on the competition once again on Dubai World Cup night for the first time since Amber Sky's fourth-place finish in 2015 while vying for back-to-back Al Quoz Sprint victories.
“I’ve been really looking to coming back to Dubai and trying to do it again. It’s all about finding the right one,” he said.
“First of all, you’ve got to have the right horse to go. Secondly, you have to understand the horse at that stage is at his peak. That’s when you take the chance to go overseas. Otherwise it’s not worth going.”
Although Amber Sky and Voyage Bubble have distinct characteristics, Yiu is able to observe some similarities between the two horses.
“Amber Sky was at his peak when we took him to Dubai,” Yiu said. “I always remember Joao Moreira saying to me that the main reason the horse could win the race is that he is exceptionally fast out of the gates and he would be two lengths in front of the others, which is a big advantage in a sprint race. In those days it was a 1,000m race, now it is 1,200m.
“Voyage Bubble is in similar condition to what Amber Sky was. I have been speaking to the work rider [Britt McDonald], who rides him every morning, and she has been really happy with the horse. He seems to be enjoying himself and he’s adapted really well.”
Voyage Bubble has been performing exceptionally well this season, having secured second place finishes in the Gr.1 Hong Kong Mile behind Golden Sixty and in the Gr.1 Gold Cup behind Romantic Warrior, in addition to his triumph in the Stewards’ Cup. Nonetheless, to emerge victorious in the upcoming US$5 million (HK$39.1 million) competition, he would need to elevate his performance to a whole new level, which Yiu is confident he can achieve.
“I don’t think we’ve seen his best yet, not in the Derby or even the Stewards’ Cup. He’s still got something up his sleeve,” said the 66YO.