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The two-day Cairns Amateurs carnival begins on Friday with the popular Ladies Day meeting while the main features the Cairns Amateur Cup and the Cairns Amateur Sprint will be decided on Saturday.

The Cairns Amateur Cup over 2100 metres and the Cairns Amateur Sprint over 1400 metres have both attracted strong nominations.

Brisbane trainer Lindsay Gough has high hopes of claiming both races with Cairns Cup winner Mahagoni aiming to give the Eagle Farm trainer a win with his first starter in the Cairns Amateur Cup.

He also has veteran Constant Flight and For Valour clashing in the Cairns Amateur Sprint.

All three are raced by Bill Mumford who has known Gough since they were introduced to each other by a mutual friend at a racing function at a Brisbane pub two decades ago.

Gough and Mumford have been regular carnival visitors to north Queensland each year and shared in their biggest win when Wren's Day won the Cleveland Bay Handicap in Townsville two years ago.

Mumford bought Mahagoni for $80,000 at an online auction after he managed two wins in Sydney for trainer David Payne and now races the six-year-old with close friend Rob Ross.

Gough believes Mahagoni, who did his early racing in the United Kingdom, has taken further improvement since his Cairns Cup victory.

"I think he's improved since the Cairns Cup but he'll need to as he's gone up 5.5kgs in weight," Gough said.

"It was only his fourth run this campaign in the Cairns Cup so he's still going forward.

"Geogina Cartwright rode him perfectly in the Cairns Cup and she's riding him again along with Constant Flight."

Constant Flight is attempting to defend his Cairns Amateur Sprint crown he claimed last year.

The 10-year-old is lining up for his 50th start and is only $9,000 shy of cracking the $500,000 prizemoney barrier.

The son of Written Tycoon is coming off a last start third to Montenegro Man in the Cairns Newmarket in mid-August while For Valour had only his third start for Gough when fourth in a 1250-metre Class Six in Cairns last month.

"Constant Flight won this race last year and his form suggests he's going just as well now so I think he's my best chance of the two," Gough said.

"He drew wide in the Cairns Newmarket and had to do a lot of work but it was a good run and he kept trying.

"For Valour 's winning range has been between 1500 to 1600 metres but I do feel he'll race well over 1400 metres.

"He led when he ran fourth over 1200 last time and he'll be better suited over 1400 metres."