Michael Chang Chun-wai-trained Boy Oh Boy stands out in terms of ability in the DSFH 25th Listing Anniversary Cup (1,600m) today at Sha Tin if he brings his A-game with a hood. Boy Oh Boy (Douglas Whyte) showed promise last season, lighting up the day that blinkers were applied and running away to a hollow win over 1,400m in Class Four, reports the Racing Post HK.
That win marked him as a four-year-old to follow this season but the gelding has let everyone down twice as a warm favourite over his winning distance.
First-up he overraced badly and gave regular rider Olivier Doleuze a tough ride, then he was a touch keen again although better when he was caught wide without cover second-up.
So there have been excuses for those performances and Chang has gambled on removing the blinkers to relax the gelding better, and Whyte was on board in a recent trial when Boy Oh Boy was dragged out the back early and asked to run on.
He switched off well and found the line strongly enough there, although the gelding probably doesn't want to be that far off them today in what promises to be only an evenly-run race.
Chancellor has not been leading lately but with a low draw here, he might return to those sorts of tactics unless one of the wide-draw horses with speed, Horse Aplenty or Glamorous Honour, wants to roll along.
The danger is that Boy Oh Boy loses some of his tactical ability with the removal of the blinkers, replaced by a hood, but, on the flipside, he steps up to the mile for the first time and that should help him to stay handy.
For dangers, the in-form Todos Con Suerte (Gerald Mosse), Griffindor (Neil Callan) and D'Or Wongchoy(Joao Moreira) look chances in a fairly open event away from the favourite.