The Empress poised to pluck bonuses on Melbourne Cup night at Cambridge

Lincoln Farms has the firepower to clean up the early races on the card at Cambridge’s Melbourne Cup night at the trots on Tuesday.

The meeting opens little more than an hour after Flemington’s great race with the Melbourne Cup Day Two Mile Handicap, a 3200 metre stand rarely contested at Cambridge these days.

And it will take a brave punter to bet against The Empress who tops the hit parade of the horses Lincoln Farms trainer Ray Green will present on the night.

The in-form mare has seldom been far away against vastly superior opposition at Auckland in recent months but ventures south with the promise of two tidy bonuses.

As the winner already of a race at Cambridge on October 3, The Empress is up for Cambridge’s $1750 bonus for winning twice on the course in one season.

That would bring her $5700 winning stake up to $7450, only $575 less than she’d receive for winning a $15,000 race at Auckland.

But there’s also a special $2500 bonus the club is offering if the winner of the race breaks the male of female course record for the standing 3200 metres.

Trainer Ray Green, right, with Merv Butterworth, owner of The Empress.And because it’s not a distance that’s been contested for a while, The Empress will only have to pace better than 4:07.5 for claim the booty, not a tough target for such a talented mare.

You have to go way back to October 31, 1998 to find when the mares’ course record was set, when Irvin Behrns’ Kliklite earned $6400 for winning the Te Awamutu Cup from 20 metres behind in the hands of Brent Mangos.

With that second bonus The Empress’ final tally would be $9950, just $750 less than she’d receive for winning a $20,000 race at Auckland, a return Melbourne owner Merv Butterworth would happily pocket.

“Just tell them to send the money now,” says Green who is in Christchurch preparing smart colts Line Up and Copy That for the Sires’ Stakes Final on cup day at Addington next Tuesday.

“That’s not a hard time to beat and its obviously a huge drop in class for her on Tuesday.”

The only glitch in The Empress’ form line was at her last start when she was never able to get into the race from a second row draw in Wainui Creek’s 1:54.9 mile, despite running her last half in 55.7.

“I don’t think the distance will worry her as she’s a good, honest mare who keeps trying. She’s not brilliantly fast but she keeps going.”

Green isn’t worried either about The Empress having her first standing start: “She stepped brilliantly from a stand at the workouts recently. And being on 30 metres will give her a better chance as there won’t be anything charging behind her, that’s when you lose them, when they panic.”

The Empress shares the back mark with main rival Young Conqueror, and has only six horses ahead of her to reel in.

Don’t let the fact The Empress failed to beat one home at the weekend workouts deter you either. Green says the mare was only there to stretch her legs.

Last turning for home, driver Andre Poutama kept The Empress under a nice hold as Little Miss Perfect and Revolver rattled off a 27.4 final quarter.

Zachary Butcher takes the reins on Tuesday night.

Hampton Banner … pacing better now his stifles have been injected.Hampton Banner, who will touch a short price in the second race on Tuesday night, was also given a quiet run at the workouts by Poutama.

Eased to the rear in a seven horse field, Hampton Banner was three back on the markers on the home turn and was never put under any pressure to run fourth, closing to within two lengths of Tony Herlihy’s winner Underthesouthernsun.

The leaders closed in 58.7 and 28.3.

“He should go well, he’s a very good maiden, we’ve just had a few lameness issues we’ve had to work through.

“We’ve had his stifles injected since he last raced and that seems to have helped him.”

Hampton Banner debuted at Cambridge on the first day of the new season, when backed off the map, and was collared only late by Red Atom. And he backed that up with a solid fourth in much stronger company behind Henry Hu, Mumsies Lad and Double Or Nothing at Auckland.

With the scratching of Lady Brite, Hampton Banner moves in to gate five, with Butcher taking the drive.

It was all too easy for Double Or Nothing the last time he raced at Cambridge. PHOTO: Phil Williams/Race Images.Butcher also gets back on Double Or Nothing who is the one to beat in the third race despite his outside draw.

Double Or Nothing had no chance last time when caught three wide with no cover for the last lap of the Sires’ Stakes heat at Auckland, won in 1:54.4 by stablemate Line Up.

Two starts back he led all the way over 2200 metres for an easy win at Cambridge, clocking a mile rate of 1:58.6.

Double Or Nothing’s task will be tougher from the outside of the arm at the 1700 metre start point but he has the early speed to get prominent.

And he might be gifted the front with stablemate Lindi Lincoln, in gate five, also very fast off the arm.

“With a bit of luck they might lead, trail,” says Green.

“Double or Nothing is superior to Lindi Lincoln who’s very lazy.”

Lindi Lincoln was another of the Lincoln Farms team to be given a quiet workout last Saturday, trailing throughout for Andrew Drake and finishing fifth behind much better credentialed rivals.

She is a last-start winner at Cambridge, albeit her winning mile rate of 2:01.6 much slower than Double Or Nothing’s win the same night.

“We could be in for another good night,” says Green who notched a treble on his last trip to Cambridge with Double Or Nothing, Lindi Lincoln and Larry Lincoln.