Hong Kong entries unveiled

Aidan O`Brien`s Bach remains in the Hong Kong Cup after the entries were unveiled today for the Hong Kong International meeting.

The Caerleon colt was an excellent third in the Breeders` Cup Mile last time but has the 10-furlong contest as his target next month.

There were 40 overseas horses invited for the December 16th fixture at Sha Tin, which will feature three Group One races and one Group Two contest.

Godolphin`s Group One-winning trio Slickly, Tobougg and Kutub headed 12 British-based entries.

Prix du Moulin winner Slickly is earmarked for the Hong Kong Mile, in which possible rivals include Mount Abu (trained by John Gosden), Nicobar (Ian Balding) and Tough Speed (Sir Michael Stoute).

Tobougg, last year`s Dewhurst winner who finished second in the Champion Stakes last time out, is in the 10-furlong Cup, along with Hawkeye (Michael Jarvis).

And Kutub is pencilled in for the mile-and-a-half Vase, with Daliapour (Stoute), Mubtaker (Marcus Tregoning) and Zindabad(Mark Johnston) also invited.

Nominations for the Group Two Sprint over five furlongs include Bahamian Pirate (David Nicholls) and Nice One Clare (Pip Payne).

The International meeting has attracted a Breeders` Cup winner for the first time as Val Royal, who landed the Mile at Belmont Park last month, is among Slickly`s potential opponents.

New Zealand-trained Melbourne Cup winner Ethereal, whose dam Romanee Conti won the Hong Kong Cup in 1993, is in the Vase.

Ex-French star Nuclear Debate, sold recently at Newmarket for 180,000 guineas, could represent his new American connections in the Sprint, while globe-trotting German horse Silvano is in the Cup.

A strong Japanese representation at the meeting consists of Stay Gold (Vase), Agnes Digital (Cup), Trot Star (Mile), Daitaku Yamato (Sprint) and Mejiro Darling (Sprint).