He’s landed timely winners at consecutive meetings and now jockey Ben Thompson is hoping for a third good result in the space of a week when the Jockey Club licensing committee meets on Friday to decide the make-up of next season’s riding and training ranks.

Successful aboard $31 chance Ernest Feeling at Happy Valley on Wednesday night after saluting atop Lost Child at Sha Tin on Sunday, Thompson is eager to stay in Hong Kong beyond this season.

“I put in my application a month or so ago now and I’m just waiting on the verdict,” said the 27-year-old Australian after taking his tally to six victories for the campaign on Wednesday night.

“I’ve loved being here, hence why I put in that first application to extend on my original contract and I’m rapt to be here until the end of the season. Fingers crossed we can stay longer.”

Initially brought in on an eight-week contract in February to provide cover for the injured Vincent Ho Chak-yiu and suspended Hugh Bowman, as well as to give owners and trainers another lightweight option, Thompson’s contract has twice been extended and he’s currently licensed until July 14’s season finale.

Thompson has had little trouble attracting rides in the city and while he hasn’t exactly been prolific on the win front, he’s made a decent fist of maximising the chances he’s had.

Not one of his 204 mounts has started favourite and he’s only ridden 11 gallopers in single figures, banging in winners at $43, $41 and $17 to go with Ernest Feeling’s blowout midweek success.

“One thing that’s been great is the amount of support I’ve been given. I’ve had a good number of rides at pretty much each meeting I’ve come to,” Thompson said.

“The quantity of rides has been great and I’m just trying to make the most of each opportunity I’ve had.

“I didn’t come here expecting anything to be easy, especially coming in the second half of the season, but it’s great to have had a few winners now.”

While Thompson made the move to Hong Kong from Brisbane and has had to watch on during the ongoing Queensland winter carnival, he confirmed he has no doubts about where he wants to be.

“Given it’s obviously the feature time of year at home in Brisbane, of course you’d love to be riding on the big days, but at the same time it’s my dream to be here,” he said.

“To be here has been extremely surreal and without doubt the best experience of my career. To ride in Hong Kong among the best riders in the world in the toughest competition has been unbelievable.”

Should Thompson get his wish to remain in Hong Kong for the 2024-25 campaign, there’s every chance the riding roster remains unchanged on Friday, with struggling local riders Alfred Chan Ka-hei and Dylan Mo Hin-tung expected to be handed another season.

There could be some interesting developments on the training front, however, with rumours rife in recent weeks about yet another tweak to the criteria handlers must meet.

After restricting the number of Class Five wins that count towards a trainer’s tally for benchmark purposes ahead of the 2021-22 season, it’s been suggested the Jockey Club will scrap the two-win cap on cellar-grade successes.

It’s also been mooted that officials will lower the benchmark trainers must hit to avoid a strike, meaning single-site handlers would only need 14 victories instead of 16 and those with a Conghua stable 16 instead of 18.

The move would be designed to save the careers of Me Tsui Yu-sak and Michael Chang Chun-wai with an eye to potential movement elsewhere in the training ranks.

Both have two strikes and are yet to reach the benchmark this season, with Tsui needing all the help he can get but Chang on track to avoid what in the past would have been a career-ending third strike.