Promising colt Tyreek made a strong impression on debut, overcoming inexperience to win the TAB Handicap (1200m) at Canterbury on Wednesday.

The John O’Shea-trained three-year-old, named after NFL speedster Tyreek Hill, came from the back of the field to edge out Burma Star by a half-neck.

“Good horses are usually defined by what they do at their first start,” O’Shea said.

“Albeit he had a lot of improvement on whatever he did today, he was still good enough to win.”

Jockey Dylan Gibbons said a slow getaway proved a blessing: “He’s quite casual and being that pair further back and giving him more to chase was the reason he was able to get the revs up and win.”

“He’s like his namesake. He’s fast and he’s done a good job.”

Burma Star had shown strong two-year-old form, placing fourth in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes and behind King Of Pop in February.

Meanwhile, Chris Waller’s Island Dream scored second-up over 1550m, with black-type goals later this prep.

“She could win an Aspiration (Quality) or an Epona (Stakes) in the autumn,” Waller said.