Alkaased to try Hong Kong

Alkaased will attempt to become the first Japan Cup winner to add a victory in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase, a $1.8 million 1 1/2-mile contest at Sha Tin on Dec. 11.

Trainer Luca Cumani gave Alkaased the go-ahead for Hong Kong on Wednesday morning just three days after Alkaased, a Kingmambo 5-year-old, had landed Japan's biggest international race. Cumani, however, will have to find a new rider for Alkaased, as Frankie Dettori, who rode him to victory in Tokyo, will be claimed by Godolphin in the Vase for Cherry Mix, the recent winner of the Gran Premio del Jockey Club in Milan.

Silent Witness, on the other hand, is looking doubtful for the Hong Kong Sprint, a race he has won each of the last two years. Scratched from the International Sprint Trial on Nov. 13 because he was dull and off his feed, Silent Witness was only fifth Monday in a trial at Sha Tin required of horses who have been officially withdrawn from a race by the stewards. Trainer Tony Cruz has been granted another week by owner Arthur da Silva to get Silent Witness ready for the Sprint, but he is running out of time.

The three American runners for the Hong Kong International Races - Designed for Luck in the Mile, Willow O Wisp in the Cup, and Nicole's Dream in the Sprint - all arrived in Hong Kong in good order on Wednesday and moved directly to Sha Tin's ontrack quarantine stable.