Tommy’s fit now and he’s drawn to lead at Auckland on Friday night so look out!

Drawn to lead and fitter for two runs back, Tommy Lincoln is the one to beat in the sixth race at Auckland on Friday night.

With the early scratching of pole runner Destined For Heaven, Tommy Lincoln starts from three, with only stablemate Hampton Banner and Hunter Bromac inside him.

And given the gate speed he has shown in the past, driver Andre Poutama should have no trouble taking the front, from where he will be extremely hard to get past.

Trainer Ray Green says the big son of American Ideal looks very fit now and showed in his last run at Auckland that he was in for a good season.

After trailing early, then being three back, driver David Butcher made a lightning move to wrest the lead at the 1500. And he succumbed only late to Barry Purdon’s Sole Ambition who enjoyed a perfect trail and sprint lane run at him, clocking a spectacular 2:39.7 for the 2200 metres.

Tommy, only a neck away at the line, did extremely well to run a mile rate of 1:56.8 given it was only his second run back from a spell.

But the three-year-old showed he had progressed further when leading all the way for Poutama at the Pukekohe workouts last Saturday, whipping home in 26.7.

Tommy Lincoln wore spreaders at Pukekohe and Green hopes they will provide the key at Auckland on Friday, helping him stay off his knee.

“He’s looking pretty fit and they’ll have a job to get past him on Friday - he’ll keep running.”

Hampton Banner … won easily but beat nothing at Cambridge. PHOTO: Chanelle Lawson.Friday’s rating 53 to 58 event will be a big test, however, for Hampton Banner.

He looked good winning his first race at Cambridge last start but as Green points out, he beat a poor lot.

“We’re throwing him in the deep end here but we have to find out what he can do.”

Hampton Banner led all the way at Cambridge and clocked a sedate mile rate of 2:00.4 for the 2200 metres but will have to go many seconds faster this time.

Double Or Nothing, Green’s third runner in the race, has the disadvantage of starting from three on the second row in what looks a useful field.

But Green says he deserves consideration on his recent efforts.

Last time at Cambridge he had to work had early from a wide draw and, despite siting parked, closed hard at the finish to be beaten only three-quarters of a length by pacemaker Simon in a 1:55.9 mile rate for the 1700 metres.

Green says you can forget his previous start, in Line Up’s Sires’ Stakes heat at Auckland, when he was “left out to dry” three wide with no cover in a 1:54 mile.

“You can’t condemn him on that run - it was the first time he hadn’t been in the money in his life.”

With Zachary Butcher opting to drive Barry Purdon’s filly Little Miss Perfect, the drive goes to James Stormont.