Freshman trainer, Jamie Richards' hot run of form recently has made him aa rarity in our ratings - a top-ranked debutant.

Richards is not the first frshman to be on top but the others have almost always been trainers who begin with a bang and post an unrealistically high rating off just a handful of runners early in the term. It is very rare for any freshman to be this high in our rankings this far into the campaign.

But Richards has managed to put his nose in front of past champion Ricky Yiu to lead the way with just over a quarter of the season remaining.

It would be an even bigger surprise if he remains there but Richards has produed a very good first season in Hong Kong that earmarks him as a likely future championship winner.

It remains crowded at the top of our trainer form ratngs though, even if Yiu, John Size and Frankie Lor have broken away in the official chase for the title.

Not a lot has changed on the jockeys' ratings, with Zac Purton continuing to hold a good lead over Hugh Bowman, who is enjoying an excellent stint, and Vincent Ho.

When Blake Shinn left at the end of last season, Australian representation in the jockeys' room was down to Purton and Luke Currie but the addition of Bowman followed and and the Jockey Club has announced that Sydney's Brenton Avdulla will join the roster from the start of May. 

(Note, apprentice jockey ratings reflect performances with their allowance "built in". As their claim reduces and they compete on a more equal footing, we expect their rating to deteriorate unless they are top class riders.)

​These numbers are updated regularly, and may change considerably through the season. They are designed to reflect current form but with past figures also putting a brake on hot-streak performers or lifting up a long-term quality player having a quiet run.