Lightweight Australian jockey Ben Thompson will join the Hong Kong riding roster next month, with the 26-year-old handed a short-term contract by the Jockey Club on Tuesday.

Prolific in Brisbane in recent years, Thompson broke through at Group One level when winning the Oakleigh Plate aboard Uncommon James in February last year and has also tasted success in Singapore, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.

Thompson, who can ride at 115 pounds, will begin his Hong Kong stint at Sha Tin’s Chinese New Year meeting on February 12 and will be licensed until April 4.

As well as providing cover for the injured Vincent Ho Chak-yiu and Hugh Bowman, who begins a five-meeting suspension next week, Thompson will offer trainers and owners another option down in the weights.

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“To assist connections in their choice of jockey for the race meeting to be conducted on February 12, the club has arranged for Ben Thompson to accept race-riding engagements at the Chinese New Year race meeting and for a further period up to April 4,” Jockey Club licensing committee secretary Terry Bailey said in a statement.

Thompson, who has 778 career winners at a strike rate of 11 per cent, sits fifth in the Australian jockey premiership and second in both the Queensland and Queensland metropolitan premierships.