CHAMPION River Verdon can lift this afternoon's quality $4.5 million International Cup for the second successive season for Hongkong. But don't expect him to saunter to victory. The field is stronger than 12 months ago and the 1,800-metre trip is short of what he needs to run to his full, outstanding potential. He is also likely to start at prohibitively short win odds on the local tote. The best way of backing him outright is to send the money down to Australia if at all possible where they are betting on the race. He is also worth taking in quinellas where the value is almost certain to be much greater. Quinellas with the striking Canadian grey, Cozzene's Prince, and the diminutive French filly, Urban Sea, are recommended. River Verdon comes into the focal point of his and Hongkong's season working as well if not better than ever. His comfortable Gold Cup victory from Wonderful World over 2,000 metres was exactly the kind of blowout he needed to come to peak condition, having had only one other start over 1,200 metres since the virus-enforced break. Since the Gold Cup, trainer David Hill has appeared to strike the perfect balance between fitness and freshness. He kept his stable star to relatively light work until this week when the son of Be My Native was asked for a serious gallop on the grass on Tuesday morning. The response said it all. River Verdon picked up like a class horse when asked to lengthen by his big-race rider Basil Marcus who, like Hill, is adamant that River Verdon is tuned to run to his best. River Verdon is also a clean-winded individual who habitually only needs one gallop to come to himself, once he has attained his basic level of fitness. So however good he looked on Tuesday morning, he will progress for the gallop and be even better this afternoon. But victory cannot be taken for granted. As one sage observer once stated: ''I've only ever known three certainties in racing . . . and two of those got beaten.'' At least the most solid foundations for success have been laid. Trainer Hill has brought River Verdon to his peak without the six-year-old even knowing he's been trained. The horse appears eager to go out and race and jockey Marcus thrives on the big occasion. He's a combative rider who will not yield an inch. But more than that, there are few better tacticians and he will know exactly where to be through the race. The biggest danger could well come from Canadian entry Cozzene's Prince, trained by the amiable Tino Attard and ridden by dominant Ontario jockey Dave Penna, who is considered a turf specialist. Cozzene's Prince has some smart form to his name, including a defeat of the top Group One performer It's All Greek To Me who was only just touched off at the Breeders' Cup the season before last. Cozzene's Prince has been trained specifically for the Cup and went really well in his prep-race when not knocked around at all to finish third to Alnasr Alwasheek at Santa Anita at the beginning of the month. Urban Sea, the locally-owned French filly, would prefer softer ground, but her consistent Group form in Europe and Canada makes her a must in all quinella and tierce wagers. She has already prevailed in Group Three company this season and jockey Walter Swinburn, who knows a thing or two about winning top races, was adamant that she would not finish out of the placings when flying to France for a specially convened gallop recently. The 1,400-metre Bowl looks a decidedly more tricky affair compared to the Cup. Preference is again for a locally-trained horse in the shape of Helene Star. The four-year-old has improved with each and every run this season and, given that he represents Patrick Biancone, is almost certain to be at a peak for his acid test. He won the Derby on sheer class alone, having had only one gallop going into the Blue Riband event run over 1,800 metres. At this stage of his career, he is far more effective over 1,400 metres and is likely to be able to sit just off the speed under Gerald Mosse. The key to the race is to look for back runners as there is so much early speed that front-running types such as Glen Kate, Thourios, The Kingfighter and Hokusei Ciboulette will almost certainly cut each other's throats. This is why Storaia, who was so impressive in his final workout, must be considered a live threat. He habitually comes from off the pace and is ridden by wonder kid Damien Oliver. The utmost respect should also be afforded to Diamonds Galore who represents last year's winning trainer and jockey, that consummate Irish pairing of Dermot Weld and Mick Kinane. Ice-man Kinane considers Diamonds Galore a significantly better horse than previous winner Additional Risk. Put in Cardmania for the tierce. He is ridden by local idol Tony Cruz and also comes from off the pace.
