ONE of the real success stories of the present season has been trainer Peter Ng Bik-kuen and he could equal a personal record-equalling 15 winners tomorrow night at Happy Valley. Ng has trained some excellent horses over the years but, as far as numbers go, his best season produced 15 winners. This mundane Valley equitrack meeting comes with the season only one-third of the way through, so Ng can look forward to creating a personal record. And Double Trio punters should make Ng's speedy equitrack specialist, Garlic Lad, the banker for the second leg of the exotic bet. Garlic Lad has drawn barrier one and Danny Lee, successful on Classic Pleasure for Ng on Friday, should notch up his eighth winner of the campaign by making all from this favourable draw. The rails draw is not always a boon in equitrack races - but it is when a horse possesses the early zip to get clear from the barrier. And Garlic Lad does have pace. He showed that at his last start when jumping from the extreme outside, in Class Four. He rises a grade tomorrow night but the short equitrack sprint is his forte. Times can be particularly relevant over the shorter sprint on either turf or equitrack and Garlic Lad has scooted over this trip quicker than his opposition in this race. As long as there are no mishaps at the start, then Garlic Lad looks the likely winner and is taken as the banker - although it should be noted the horse was treated during the recent virus epidemic. Easily the biggest threat must be David Hill's Echo who returns to the equitrack sprint after winning in a very sharp time quite effortlessly earlier this season. It looks like being between these two but Echo has drawn the extreme outside which should tip the scales in favour of Garlic Lad. Echo was not at his peak when winning over this trip but did not really see out the 1,400 metres over which he was sent at a subsequent start. Last time he was not disgraced over 975 metres but this looks to be what he is after. Of the rest, Longain and Mughal Prince look best but it is difficult to see either of them turning over Garlic Lad or Echo. Hill also holds the key to the first leg of the Double Trio where last start winner Four Winds is produced again over the 1,600-metre trip at which he was successful. The enigmatic Four Winds had been something of a disappointment until breaking through last time but he did that on merit and Hill has wisely turned to his stable apprentice, Raymond S.M. Tam, to thwart the handicapper. Four Winds went up eight pounds for his solid, half-length win and the claim of Tam, who looks worth it, is five pounds which clearly puts the horse right into contention. With Tam's claim, Four Winds is again a pound worse off against Talisburg, just as he was last time when Talisburg chased him home. Ironically, Talisburg is trained by Ng so these two could carve up the Double Trio races between them. Danny Lee takes over on Talisburg after Ray Cochrane, whose one-month stint was sadly truncated, had tried desperately to post his first Hongkong winner. Fortune Collect tried to make all last time for Brent Thomson, who took a clear lead but faded in the straight. The Stewards questioned Thomson but accepted his explanation that Fortune Collect changed legs throughout the race and he allowed the horse to drift wide so he would keep his balance. Dennis C.H. Yip is riding tomorrow night and Fortune Collect is worth including although his previous run might suggest a slight aversion to the surface.
