Ray: Andre’s on our two best chances at Cambridge on Thursday but we’ll need luck

In-form driver Andre Poutama will pilot four of Lincoln Farms’ six runners at Cambridge on Thursday night with Lenny Lincoln and Major Achievement looking his best chances.

Poutama, who book-ended the card at Auckland last week, first teams with two-year-old Lenny Lincoln in the third race for non-winners.

And, while he dropped out in the run home last week to finish last of six runners, trainer Ray Green says it’s best to put the line through the run.

“The 55.2 last half took the wind out of his sails,” said Green of impressive debuante winner Duchess Megxit’s closing sectional.

From the outisde of the arm, Lenny Lincoln had no option but to drop to the rear and when it came time to try to make ground, he was left flat-footed, with the pressure not letting up over the last 400 in 27.8.

Thursday night’s six draw is a fraction niggly and Green says from there Lenny will need luck in the running.

“He can’t burn the candle at both ends, so he’ll be relying on a trip.

“When he ran second at Cambridge two starts back he had one of those trips, sucked along three fence, which left him with plenty of gas in the tank in the run home.”

Late clear, Lenny Lincoln powered home to be only three-quarters of a length Always B Elite in a slick 2:42.4 for the 2200 metres.

Major Achievement and Andre Poutama who teamed to score two starts back at Cambridge. PHOTO: Ange Bridson/Race Images.Major Achievement, while better drawn in four in the seventh race, will also need things to go his way says Green.

“He’s not the worst, I could see him winning or going close if he got the right trip. If he could make the front he’d be hard to roll.”

Major Achievement, who scored on the course two starts back, making the most of a one-one trail, showed he had trained on well when winning a three-horse workout at Pukekohe last Saturday, home in 59.1 and 27.8.

Poutama’s other two drives aren’t expected to flatter. Green says Toe The Line needs to turn his form around in the fifth race and an inside second row draw won’t help, and Conquer Clare looks badly off in the ratings in the eighth race.

“It’s her first start for us. She’s training and trialling average. She tries hard, she’s very genuine but I wouldn’t be expecting too much from her in her first race for more than three months.”

The five-year-old, the winner of one of her 17 starts in the South Island, is the latest to be tried at Lincoln Farms by Melbourne owners Merv and Meg Butterworth.

Andy Sharpe drives Riverboy Ben.Riverboy Ben chance in amateur race

Of the others, Green says Obadiah Dragon will get his chance against Lenny Lincoln from gate two - “He hasn’t had a decent draw for a while” - and so too will Riverboy Ben who will enjoy the drop in grade in the opening race for amateur drivers.

“He’s better placed on Thursday than he has been lately and looks a chance from the draw in a small field.”

Riverboy Ben would only have to run up to his Auckland fourth three starts back when he led a far stronger field and was gobbled up only in the last 150 metres by D J Rock, My Copy and Benson Dude, all three of whom stamped the form at their next starts.

The last time Riverboy Ben competed in an amateur race, at Cambridge in March, he went down by only a neck, piloted by the stable’s Andy Sharpe who takes the reins again.

His toughest opposition will come from Pixie, a last-start runner-up to Frankie Major on the course, and Peter Forsberg whose last win was in an amateur race at Cambridge, driver John Kriechbaumer sure to try for another all-the-way win from the pole.