The Longines Hong Kong International Races will be without a North American runner, with Hong Kong Cup entrant Forte dei Marmi taken out last night. Forte dei Marmi finished third in the recent Canadian International at Woodine but would have been an outsider in Hong Kong, and connections have preferred a target closer to home. Instead of the Hong Kong Cup, Forte dei Marmi has preferred tomorrow's Group Two W.L. McKnight handicap at Calder in the United States, where he is expected to run as favourite. The scratching leaves a field of 13 for the cup, but the Jockey Club has added to the field for the Hong Kong Mile. The Charlie Hills-trained Red Jazz, owned by former Jockey Club chairman Ronald Arculli, has been added to the field for the mile race, taking it up to 13 runners. Alan Aitken
Guangzhou Evergrande's Zheng Zhi has been shortlisted for Asian Footballer of the Year, along with Iran's Ali Karimi and South Korean Lee Keun-Ho. The Asian Football Confederation will name the winner in Kuala Lumpur on November 29. Karimi, a 34-year-old who has played for German clubs Bayern Munich and Schalke 04, won the award in 2004 and has been in a rich vein of form in his third spell with Tehran-based Persepolis. Lee played an instrumental role in helping Ulsan Hyundai capture their first Asian Champions League title this month to qualify for the Fifa Club World Cup in Tokyo. Zheng, a former Charlton Athletic and Celtic defender, has impressed again this season, helping Guangzhou Evergrande retain their Chinese Super League title. Reuters