Local trainer Andy Leung Ting-wah has pulled off a massive coup for his owners by snapping up the services of the brilliant young Irish rider Richard Hughes for next season.
Leung has had a torrid time trying to finding a top-class rider for his emerging yard, which is packed full of well-bred and lightly raced youngsters who should be at their peak over the next couple of campaigns.
He failed in a bid to sign top British rider Richard Quinn, who instead opted for an improved contract to ride for Saudi Arabian Prince Fahd Salman, and it has become an open secret that his next choice, the four-time Classic winning Ulsterman Ray Cochrane, was rejected by the Jockey Club's licensing committee.
Top-flight riders then became thin on the ground for Leung, but in Hughes he has secured the services of the jockey they are talking about in Britain as the new Lester Piggott. And, like Piggott, Hughes has also ridden many winners over jumps as well as on the flat.
He is so talented that he's also one of Ireland's top hurdles riders, and even competed in the recent Cheltenham Festival. And he's had experience abroad, creating a huge impression in Sydney when riding there as a young apprentice.
Hughes was on course at Sha Tin for racing on Saturday, and flew out on Sunday morning after his whistle-stop trip to negotiate a contract with Leung and his owners.