Peter Moody cannot separate Kewney Stakes pair Mollynickers and Autumn Angel

Peter Moody has leading fancies Mollynickers and Autumn Angel in the Group 2 Kewney Stakes and says how they are ridden will determine where they finish.

Champion trainer Peter Moody cannot split Kewney Stakes’ fillies Mollynickers and Autumn Angel, but one has a slight fitness edge.

Autumn Angel was a sick watch first-up at Caulfield in the Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes, going to the post largely untested after being locked away in traffic.

Mollynickers in contrast sustained a strong gallop fresh in the Group 3 The Vanity when third behind bold on-pacer Grinzinger Belle.

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Mollynickers is a $3.80 favourite with TAB for the Group 2 Kewney Stakes (1600m) from Grinzinger Belle ($4.60), trained by Danny O’Brien, and Autumn Angel ($5).

“I’d say Mollynickers is a tad more forward than the other filly (Autumn Angel) because she had a good hitout, where Autumn Angel is probably a grosser filly and didn’t get a gallop at all first-up,” Moody said.

“There is very little between them ability wise … luck in running is going to be the difference between them.”

Mollynickers is the early favourite for the Group 2 Kewney Stakes. Picture: George Sal/Racing Photos via Getty Images

Moody, who trains in partnership with Katherine Coleman, has put extra work into Autumn Angel to make up for the first-up misfire.

“That’s probably why she goes in slightly (underdone) fitness, not ideally where we wanted her to be, but she’s still forward enough if she’s good enough.”

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Autumn Angel and Mollynickers jump from barriers five and six respectively.

Moody indicated the pair, with Mark Zahra and Ben Melham aboard, could settle closer to the speed, “midfield or thereabouts”, from the softer draws.

“Rides and runs are probably the difference,” Moody said.

Moody has dropped Listed winner and Group 3-placed Legacies back into a 1400m Three-Year-Old Quality in search of a confidence-boosting win.

He scratched She Smashes from the Group 2 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) after the plucky two-year-old filly drew barrier 15.

Originally published as Peter Moody cannot separate Kewney Stakes pair Mollynickers and Autumn Angel