The Jockey Club may call on a fresh name to join the riding roster, Italian Mirco Demuro, with a crisis of jockey numbers looming early in the new year after a rash of suspensions, injuries and the release of Colm O'Donoghue from his contract.
O'Donoghue has had a tough time with one win from just 74 mounts this season, with opportunities and even rides almost non-existent - he had nine rides in a December he partly missed with suspension - and the Irishman has called it quits.
In itself, one departure does not make a crisis but stewards went on a careless riding blitz on Sunday, banning four jockeys, while Keith Yeung Ming-lun had a horrible fall from Chok Chok inside the 200m of the final race.
Yeung sustained a broken left collarbone and is expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks. Club officials said on Monday. Yeung would move from the Prince Of Wales Hospital at Sha Tin to a private hospital and undergo surgery to have his injured collarbone pinned.
In addition, top Chinese rider Howard Cheng Yue-tin remains out of action with a left arm fracture from a fall in June and is now hoping to return by the end of January.
Ben So Tik-hung is suspended until January 27, Karis Teetan will be out until the same date after he completes his rides this weekend and the other three riders suspended on Sunday will shortly begin penalties that will keep them sidelined until January 16.
And with stewards to hold an inquiry into Yeung's fall, likely late this week, it is possible another jockey could join the suspended list.
Joao Moreira, Olivier Doleuze and Gerald Mosse are coming back through the revolving door, returning from suspensions on Thursday, so the numbers are sufficient for the next couple of meetings but the squeeze date is January 11. On that day, there will be the bare minimum of riders for a Sha Tin fixture with 14-horse fields and the club is likely to seek a rider, possibly Demuro, to start at that time.
Demuro was here for the International Jockeys' Championship on December 4, where he rode a double, and it is believed he indicated then an interest in a more substantial stay.
In other jockey news, Australian Tommy Berry has been issued permission to ride Designs On Rome in the Classic Mile for John Moore and owner Cheng Keung-fai has provided a written undertaking the jockey will also ride the horse in the Classic Cup and Hong Kong Derby.
