FRENCH trainer Patrick Biancone has had to play an unwanted second fiddle to Ivan Allan in recent weeks, but he could gain a measure of revenge in the important Queen Mother's Cup at Sha Tin tonight. The end-season-staying test over 2,400 metres is highlighted by the clash of the Biancone-trained Deauville and the excellent Success Partners, aimed for the race by Allan who is now deep odds-on to win his second Hong Kong trainers' championship. Were we operating with bookmakers in Hong Kong - official ones, that is - betting on the trainers' championship would have been stopped last week with Allan five clear. Deauville ran a mighty race in the traditional late season staying challenge, the Champions and Chater Cup, when he went under by a length to the Allan-trained Privilege. It was a superb run from Deauville as Privilege is a 'heartbreak' horse who simply gallops his rivals into the ground.

He is one of the prized inmates of the Allan stable and being beaten a length by Privilege spoke volumes for Deauville - particularly as there was a doubt that the French galloper would actually see out the mile and a half. There were four and a quarter lengths back to third-placed Sterling Town with the first two home in the Champions simply powering away from the small field. That was a fortnight ago, but Deauville has shown no signs at all of taking any harm from the race in his handful of trackwork appearances since. As he had a lengthy mid-season break, Deauville is actually now probably at his peak. There must also be some sort of doubt over Success Partners actually seeing out the 2,400 metres. It is his first attempt at the extreme trip, but he has run on well over 2,200 metres so the odds may be in favour of him doing so. He, too, is a front-running type like stablemate Privilege but may not have quite the class of that one - which could open the door for Deauville to snare an important prize.

Success Partners prepared for tonight's clash with a solid win in the Pearce Memorial Cup over 1,800 metres in yielding ground so, if present weather conditions continue, he should not be at a disadvantage in the going. Earlier, he had run, in defeat, a tremendous race over 2,200 metres at the Valley when he was squeezed at the start and could not adopt his normal front-running tactics. As it was, he powered home from almost midfield to be going as well as the winner, Rajput, in the Sassoon Challenge Cup. He was only a quarter of a length off Survey King, who re-opposes tonight with topweight of 135 pounds. However, the conditions of the race do not necessarily favour Success Partners against the John Moore-trained stayer who was carrying 137 pounds when second to Rajput. In the Valley race, Success Partners was receiving 11 pounds so he does face a much stiffer task to turn the form around when receiving only one pound tonight - given that luck was against him in the Sassoon event.