There was a time earlier this year when there were no guarantees Manfred Man Ka-leung would even get the chance to baffle the racing world by running Lucky Sweynesse in Sunday’s Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m).

Now, though, it seems increasingly likely the veteran handler could be around long enough to run the superstar sprinter in next year’s season-opening feature, if he – or is it the owner? – again insists.

The Jockey Club confirmed in February that Man would be permitted to train on this term despite reaching retirement age, and chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges cited “first of all, his birth date, then performance” as the reasons for the veteran’s extension.

The brilliance of Lucky Sweynesse obviously played a part – it’s possible Man again sees the three-time Group One winner as his ticket to extension – but there was, of course, also a certain level of necessity.

Fast forward seven months and Man’s currency seems only to have grown, with the veteran coming off a career-best campaign and Hong Kong’s trainers’ roster down to 21.

While Mark Newnham and Cody Mo Wai-kit have entered the fray this season, Richard Gibson, Peter Ho Leung and Tony Millard all departed after last term.

As officials picked through the carnage of a near-14 per cent drop in turnover after a season opener on Sunday that featured poor field sizes, executive director of racing Andrew Harding offered this: “We are in a rebuilding phase. We have been over the past 18 months, in terms of rebuilding the horse population. We’ll start to see an increase.

“We do know this season we’ll face the issue that we have one less trainer than is normal. That will have an impact on entries.

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“You will see an announcement made later this season about the further renewal of the roster of trainers.”

Harding identified 22 trainers as the magic number for now, with the looming refurbishment of the Sha Tin stables ensuring a planned increase to 24 must wait, and stated “it’s just not viable to bring in three or four in a year”.

Names like David Eustace, George Boughey and Justin Snaith keep popping up as potential expatriate targets, while the Jockey Club will be hard at work identifying the next local handler capable of stepping up.

But should two be the maximum added ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, in theory all but one of the current crop could be safe, and there might even be a world where they all stay.

For Me Tsui Yu-sak and Michael Chang Chun-wai, they need 16 wins – with only two in Class Five – to avoid a third strike for failing to meet the trainers’ benchmark.

While a handful of other handlers have reached 65 but are ticking the necessary performances boxes to keep going, 64-year-old Benno Yung Tin-pang – like Man – will need the Jockey Club to bend its retirement rules if he is to continue next season.

Good news for Yung is executives maintain that by only turning 66 on July 18 this year, Man had a strong case for an extension despite not meeting official requirements to continue beyond retirement age.

When this season ends, Yung will be more than four months younger than Man was – his 66th birthday is not until next December. He doesn’t have a Lucky Sweynesse like Man, however, so it’ll be intriguing to see how his case is handled later this term.

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“Potentially is the right word,” Harding said when asked if Man and Yung could receive extensions. “We have said we would consider the circumstances, and it’s a matter for the licensing committee.”

In the meantime, Hong Kong racing must push on with 21 trainers. On top of issues with field sizes – officials will be hoping recent weather interruptions are as much to blame as anything – Zac Purton offered an interesting insight into the impact of having fewer handlers.

“I think the one thing I’m finding a little bit different this season is the lower number of trainers on the roster,” the reigning champion jockey said. “When I arrived there were 24 trainers on the roster.

“It’s harder to have a larger platform of support. It feels like it’s a lot tighter – there’s not much room to wiggle.”