Ray: Henry Hu? Line Up has the speed to take him apart on Friday night

Trainer Ray Green is confident Line Up is the one to beat at Auckland on Friday night despite clashing with the highly touted Henry Hu.

The pair, both unbeaten in two starts, clash in the fifth race at Alexandra Park, Henry Hu drawn four and Line Up alongside him in five.

But Green has watched videos of Henry Hu’s wins last month and says he will have to pace a lot better to match the speed of Line Up, who was so dominant last Friday night.

“Henry Hu puts in some terrible steps around the corners,” says Green. “And, while he did it tough last time, he only just fell in.”

Henry Hu, trained by Barry Purdon, certainly did it tough in his last run over a mile, trapped three wide the trip, and with no cover from the 800 metre mark. In a slogging finish he was just able to photo-finish All Yours in 1:55.3.

When Line Up resumed last week, also over a mile, he was forced four wide round the final bend and cruised home in 1:56, really impressing driver Zachary Butcher with his speed.

“I’m confident Line Up can beat him,” says Green. “He’d have to do plenty wrong to get beaten.”

The closest the two horses have come in competition was at the Pukekohe workouts on September 7 when Line Up capitalised on a sweet trip in the trail to win the heat while Henry Hu swept up three wide from the back turning for home and got within three necks in fourth.

Green reports Line Up has trained on well this week and will strip fitter on Friday night.

Stablemate Bettor My Dreamz finally drops into a grade where he will be more competitive but Green says he will need a perfect trip to threaten Line Up.

Since his win at Alexandra Park in August, Bettor My Dreamz has been forced to race in fields of horses up to rating 94. Friday night’s race is for rating 57 to 68 pacers but he is stuck out in gate seven.

“He’ll be right there with a trip.”

Copy That scored impressive back-to-back wins at Auckland in June. PHOTO: Race Images.Lincoln Farms’ other promising three-year-old Copy That has drawn the inside of the second row in the seventh race and is at the mercy of horses in front of him.

“He’s the best horse in the field without a doubt - it just depends on what passage he gets, but if he gets a good trip I can’t see anything beating him.”

Green knows, however, that things could turn very nasty, very quickly if the pole runner The Paua Diver hands up, then the leader is crossed again, which would suddenly see Copy That buried four deep.

“He could be severely inconvenienced and then would need a lot of luck.”

Copy That showed last Saturday that he was right on target for the first Sires’ Stakes heat at Cambridge on October 3 when he won a workout stylishly on the course.

Moving up to the leader 700 metres from home, he scored by one and a half lengths in 2:45.4 for the mobile 2200 metres, home in 57 and 27.6, smart times for Cambridge.

It is more than two months since Copy That last raced but Green says he is in great heart.

Also fighting fit is The Empress who opens the night in a very winnable race for fillies and mares.

The Empress has yet to go a bad race in seven starts for Green and charged home up the markers late last week to just miss third after being hemmed in three deep.

Friday night’s extra distance of 2200 metres will play into her hands.

“She’s very capable of winning but you couldn’t label her. But she’d have to be very unlucky not to get some of it.”

Lindi Lincoln … expected to need the run from a wide draw.Green tips Lindi Lincoln will need the run when she resumes in the third race.

“She’s training down well and went quite nicely at the workouts last Saturday. But she’ll probably need a race to tighten her up.

“It’s not a great field but the draw (outside front row) isn’t ideal.”

Lindi Lincoln has not raced since June at Auckland when she ran a brave fifth to Gladamare after being parked the entire way.

Double Or Nothing is also saddled with an outside front row draw in the ninth race, a disadvantage which could again relegate him to the minor money.

But Green is OK with that, the three-year-old now boasting a bankroll of $23,135 with nine placings from 12 starts.

“If he can win $2500 every time that’s great. He’s always thereabouts and has never finished further back than fourth.

“I think he’ll run just as well as usual. He doesn’t have to lead to go well - he can go back if David wants to.”