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Promising filly Denman Diva returns to racing at Queanbeyan on Monday with trainer John Nisbet confident the three-year-old can pick up from where she left off last campaign.

In a three start two-year-old preparation, Denman Diva won on debut at Corowa and finished second and fourth behind talented duo Tyres Are Crucial and Up Trumpz.

Nisbet, who trains Denman Diva in partnership with Ron Weston at Canberra, has a good opinion of Denman Diva who is racing for the first time since April.

“She over raced a bit last start but her other two runs were really good. She has had a spell and is quite forward for this run even though she isn’t 100 per cent race fit yet,” Nisbet said.

“We are teaching her to relax so I’m looking forward to seeing how she goes fresh over the 1000 metres.

“She is bred to get 1400 metres and what she did as a two-year-old was a bonus because she will be better as she gets older.”

Denman Diva is raced by Weston’s son Lee and will be ridden by Nisbet’s daughter Kayla making the filly a real family affair.

Purchased privately at the William Inglis sales, Denman Diva is proving her value to date with earnings of $20,000 including bonuses.

Denman Diva will start from barrier four with the scratching of Sweet Lyrical and Nisbet is hoping she can gain the righty run in transit on a track that can be difficult for some horses to handle.

“She hasn’t raced there before and Queanbeyan can be a tricky track for some horses” Nisbet said.

“There is plenty of speed in the race and hopefully she can get a good run just in behind and finish over the top of them.”

Denman Diva is the training partnership’s only runner at Queanbeyan and she will come up against last start winners It’s Academic and Claradale Lass.

Both horses broke through at Queanbeyan last start with It’s Academic leading all of the way and Claradale Lass spacing her rivals by five lengths and running faster time for the 1000 metres.

They are both drawn wide with Claradale Lass having the advantage of being drawn inside It’s Academic.

The track is rated a Good 3 for the seven race program.

View the fields and form for Queanbeyan races here.