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By Ray Hickson

Group 1 winning trainer Edward Cummings is confident comeback filly Sunborn has stakes class ability but after almost a year off the scene he’s just looking forward to getting her back to racing at Kembla Grange on Thursday.

Cummings had high hopes that Sunborn would be his first stakes winner as a youngster and he showed his hand by starting her in five Group and Listed races after her debut win.

After missing most of her three-year-old season, having recovered from a leg injury, Cummings hopes to reboot Sunborn in the Bruce Compton Handicap (1000m) if the track doesn’t deteriorate overnight.

“It’s not ideal having to kick off on a heavy track but we have had enough false starts, opportunities we haven’t taken up for one reason or another,’’ Cummings said.

“It’s a good race for her and I do expect her to run well on a heavy 8 or soft 7. If it’s a heavy 9 or 10 we might wait another week.

“I’d just like to get her back on a racetrack competing. If she wasn’t good enough to win on Thursday I’m sure she will be better for the run and we would be placing her according to how she returns.

Sunborn wins a trial at Rosehill back in March

“At the end of the day we like her, we all think she has talent, but it’s hard to know exactly what to expect after that length of time off.”

As a two-year-old, Sunborn was beaten 2.5 lengths by Prime Star in the $2m Inglis Millennium and three lengths by Dame Giselle in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes, finishing fifth in both races, so she wasn’t far from some of the best of her age.

But she required an extended break when she sustained a leg injury as a result of interference from a race fall at Rosehill last July.

Sunborn, $3.10 favourite with TAB on Wednesday, would have resumed at Rosehill last Saturday but she was an emergency and didn’t gain a start.

Cummings said the Benchmark 64, albeit against largely more experienced horses, is a good option for the filly.

It’s worth noting she hasn’t appeared publicly since winning a barrier trial in good style back in March but the Hawkesbury trainer elected to keep her on ice for a while longer and says she’s had a recent jump out and is fit enough to run a big race.

“I felt like giving her a month off in the paddock after she was basically ready to go,’’ he said.

“We could just target off season winter racing, build her prizemoney and rating and hopefully springboard that fitness into the spring and have a crack at a nice race.

“She’s fit, healthy and well and we will find out where she stands after Thursday and hopefully by the end of the season she can put a few together.”

Meanwhile, Cummings said Queensland Oaks winner Duais is still spelling following her Group 1 win and spring plans will become clearer when she returns to work.

All the fields, form and replays for Thursday's Kembla Grange meeting