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Robin Parke

TRAINER David Hill will spend most of next month commuting between Hong Kong and Australia as he prepares for River Verdon's assault on the Melbourne Cup.

   After watching the champion work out at Sha Tin yesterday, Hill finalised travel plans which call for him to spend 13 days in Melbourne before finally leaving here on October 27 for the big race on November 1.

  'It has to be done and John Marshall will also be making the trip on two occasions before we go down for the race itself.

   'It is vitally important that we do everything possible to have River Verdon ready for the Melbourne Cup,' said Hill.

   Both Trainer and jockey were pleased with yesterday's workout on the main Sha Tin grass track.

   Said Marshall: 'I must say that he continues to give me the impression that he will run out the two miles and that has always been the biggest question mark for me.

   'You cannot say for definite until he does it but just the way he wants to keep on going suggests to me that he will.'    Hill has not put River Verdon on to longer work routines because of the 3,200-metre distance of the Melbourne Cup.

   He said: 'I have had a good look at Sandown Park racecourse where he will be quarantined and that has a long straight. He will be doing more of the long work there as the race approaches.'    The seven-year-old is having to get used to racing 'the wrong way round' for his Australian raid but Marshall reports that he's a quick learner.

   'The first couple of times we went around he was changing legs. But now he's on his right leg most of the time. He's adaptable,' said the former Sydney champion jockey.

   River Verdon jets out on his historic mission on October 2 and Hill will leave on the first of his Melbourne trips one day later.

   'I will be there for three days to see him safely housed at Sandown and also see how he has travelled down,' said Hill.

   Marshall is due to leave for his first trip on October 15 after racing on that day here and he will work with River Verdon prior to his lead-up race in the Cox Plate.

   The Australian ace will return to Hong Kong for the Valley midweek meeting and then jet back down to Melbourne for the Cox Plate two days later.

   Marshall will give the Triple Crown hero his final workout for the Moonee Valley race on October 23.

   Hill said: 'We are not down there together at the same time all the time. We're rather sharing the duties with John looking after things up here part of the time.

   'But we're down there together for the last gallops before the Cox Plate and obviously the race itself.'    And from Ireland, champion jockey Mick Kinane reports that last year's winner, Vintage Crop, is in tip-top shape.

  'If we don't have any bad luck, he should be right there again,' said Kinane.



Jetsetter Hill to clock up miles in River assault