By MICHAEL GUERIN
All Brent Mangos needs to land a feature-race double tonight is a little good luck in one leg and no bad luck in the other.
Mangos will partner Molly Darling in the $100,000 Fillies Championship and hot favourite Alta Serena in the $25,000 North Island Breeders Stakes.
While he can win both races, there is no doubt Alta Serena is the better of the two hopes and realistically only bad luck should beat her in the group two event.
The former glamour filly has returned from 10 months on the sidelines looking one of the best mares in the country but intelligent placement last season means she is still assessed only as a four-win pacer, even though she has won 12 races.
So she faces only a 10m handicap tonight and if she steps as quickly as she has in her only other two standing start races that should prove little hassle.
While Alta Serena is still battling foot problems, she has been a class above similar opposition lately and that dominance should allow Mangos to dominate the race when he feels the time is right to make his move.
"She is going to be very hard to beat even in that field because her manners have been good and she has so much speed," said Mangos.
He does not have the same high levels of confidence with Molly Darling but says she felt fit enough during a private workout on Monday to win one of the hottest fillies' races in years.
Molly Darling has looked the best juvenile filly in the north this season but comes up against four outstanding southerners tonight - Kamwood Cully, Idancedallnight, Foreal and Life Of Luxury.
"It is a great field so she is going to need luck to win," he admitted.
"But I couldn't be happier with her.
"I took her to Alexandra Park for a workout on Monday and she felt super.
"I am not saying she is going to win but she is good enough to shock them."
Molly Darling was unlucky when beaten against the older fillies and mares last start but appears to have the early zip to take advantage of barrier two tonight.
"I haven't really asked her to leave the gate yet but she has high speed and I think she will be able to keep up early. If she does that we will have options."
Racing: Just a little luck would score feature race double
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