Garlic Boy will be a major player for Yip yard
It seems like in-form trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong has some nice young talents in his stable and Garlic Boy is no exception.
The three-year-old was well prepared for a smart debut performance and was in the market, but missed the kick by two lengths and had to be hard ridden to stay in touch with the field. He was niggled along approaching the final bend and shifted into the clear at the 400m before closing off well to finish an eye-catching fourth, beaten 13/4 lengths by another debutant in Owners' Pride. The gelding covered the final 400m in a swift 22.35 seconds.
Garlic Boy will only improve with this run under his belt.
The 1,042-pound gelding is by Savabeel, a former Group One MVRC WS Cox Plate and Group One AJC Spring Champion Stakes winner of three races from 1,000m to 2,050m and is the sire of three winners this season from five starters in Hong Kong, including Winning Apex, Mi Savvy and Felarof.
His dam is Bigstone mare Bally Kiss, who was a winner at 1,600m and is a half-sister to six winners, including McFlirt and O'Flirty. Bally Kiss has produced two winners from four starters, including Caladesi (by stallion St Petersburg) and Bally Magic (by Magic Of Sydney).
He appears to have a versatile sort of pedigree, which should see him show promise at a mile or under and, with the influence of Zabeel on top, should perform well at Happy Valley. With both Zabeel and Bigstone, Garlic Boy will also be a competitive performer on wet going.
Another to catch the eye was the Caspar Fownes-trained Freak Zone (race nine), who should prove a major player next season.
The three-year-old, who is by Not A Single Doubt, arrived following two runs in Australia for a win (1,340m) and a second (1,200m).
Freak Zone was given a good preparation by Fownes for his debut, including three solid barrier trials at Sha Tin.
