Stable jockeys show winning value
From once having been the staple of the racing scene, retained jockeys have tended to be less fashionable over recent times - but John Moore's early successes this season have highlighted the benefits of having a stable rider on hand.
There have been some highly successful partnerships over the past decade or so after interest in retained jockeys had waned but trainers and jockeys in general have been satisfied to join forces on the run.
In particular, the success of Douglas Whyte as a free agent getting on and off horses as and when he thinks they are ready to win or past it, is a strong argument for jockeys not to want to be tied to a yard.
But then there probably is not room for more than one or two riders in Hong Kong racing to be able to do what Whyte does.
Trainers also have tended to be happy enough to use whoever is available, as the depth of jockey talent is always so strong.
But having a top jockey tied to the stable - and not just for race days - has its value too if you listen to Moore as he racked up doubles at the opening three meetings.
We know Darren Beadman is a world-class race jockey, but the trainer has also emphasised Beadman's input on the training track as being invaluable in each case. After each win, Moore has mentioned how Beadman's opinion on doing one thing or another with the winning horse in its training 'was absolutely right again'.
And having had Beadman there from the start, working with the yard before the real action began and helping to plan early targets looks to have been a better situation than last year's scenario, when Moore was unable to bring Beadman as his rider until the term was already well under way.
Clearly, over at Andy Leung Ting-wah's yard Brett Doyle's input is making an impact too, as it had in the past, with virtually all the stable horses having run well.
When all is said and done, whatever works is always popular and there have been other retainerships in recent seasons which could be offered up as arguments for the other side of the proposition. But what this season is showing is that there really is a serious place for both systems in getting the best out of horses and systems.
