Feeling good after opening his account aboard Harmony Fire at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, Luke Ferraris hopes he can help trainer Michael Chang Chun-wai continue his strong start to the season by prevailing aboard the veteran handler’s only runner at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Gummy Gummy, who is having his first start for Chang after coming across from the retired Benno Yung Tin-pang, impressed Ferraris when winning a trial earlier this month and the South African is eager to see the six-year-old carry that form into the Class Three Oi Tung Handicap (1,200m) on the dirt.

Sunday’s union between Ferraris and Gummy Gummy continues a relationship that netted a course-and-distance second and a turf seventh in the final weeks of last season.

“He’s back on his preferred surface and he felt nice and sharp in his last trial,” said Ferraris. “He’s got a bit of a deep draw [in gate nine] but if he can overcome that, he’s feeling great and hopefully that trial can transfer to the races.”

Ferraris will also have a wide gate to negotiate aboard Francis Lui Kin-wai’s Superb Kid in the Class Three Wah Fu Handicap (1,400m), with the six-year-old lumped with gate 10.

“He’s going to need a few things to go his way but if he can get a nice pull into the race, he’s a chance,” Ferraris said of a galloper he piloted to victory two starts back.

“His trial was also good, he found the line well and seemed to be in good nick. It’s another wide draw to contend with but at the back end of last season he was in good form, so hopefully he can carry that over to the new season.”

Ferraris also jumps aboard Oriental Surprise on the one-week backup, Bunta Baby and Patch Of Time.

“The good draw will help him a lot,” said the jockey of Patch Of Time, who jumps from gate three in the first section of the Class Four Lok Wah Handicap (1,200m).

“Hopefully he can bounce and put himself in a nice position. He’s fairly simple to ride, he can be put up just behind the speed and hopefully he can do something.”

Coming off his best Hong Kong haul of 47 victories last season, Ferraris was happy to be back among the winners on Wednesday as he again aims to push the half-century mark this campaign.

“It was really nice to kick the new season off and get the monkey off the back,” he said. “It looks like it will probably be tougher this season with the jockey room being a bit more full.

“Hopefully I can get similar opportunities and I can grow the support base a bit. If the rides are there, hopefully we can have a repeat.”