The return of stable star De Lightning Ridge at Canterbury on Wednesday could not have come at a better time for trainer Keith Dryden.The one-time Golden Slipper favourite runs in the Gow Gates Handicap (1100m), her first start since a disastrous run at Rosehill in August when her saddle slipped and she only beat a couple of horses home.A low-grade virus went through Dryden's Canberra stables recently which put most of his team out of action."I was advised by the vet to ease off all of the horse

The return of stable star De Lightning Ridge at Canterbury on Wednesday could not have come at a better time for trainer Keith Dryden.

The one-time Golden Slipper favourite runs in the Gow Gates Handicap (1100m), her first start since a disastrous run at Rosehill in August when her saddle slipped and she only beat a couple of horses home.

A low-grade virus went through Dryden's Canberra stables recently which put most of his team out of action.

"I was advised by the vet to ease off all of the horses, so we've been pretty quiet for the last couple of months," Dryden said.

"We're looking forward to getting a win, it's been a while...the last two Canberra meetings I've only had a couple of runners.

"The virus set her (De Lightning Ridge) back a couple of weeks but I'm very happy with the way she's worked leading up to this race and she'll go well."

De Lightning Ridge jumped brilliantly and led at the turn before her last start mishap.

Prior to that the filly did not handle a heavy Canterbury surface and finished near the back of the field in a 1200-metre race won by Maybe I.

"She panicked in that last start because the saddle slipped so badly it was halfway up her back and she didn't know what was going on," Dryden said.

"I just want her to get some confidence and learn to settle in her races, hopefully that starts tomorrow."

De Lightning Ridge, who has won two of her five starts, was installed as the early Golden Slipper favourite after her 6-1/2 length debut win at Canberra in December last year.

But she fell out of favour following her 4-1/2 length win at the same track in February after critics questioned the quality of the opposition, and the emergence of eventual Slipper winner Sebring.

The Tale Of The Cat filly was sidelined with shin-soreness after she was a beaten favourite in the Black Opal Stakes in which she was third to Sarthemare.

"She missed the start that day and since then we've been working on getting her out of the gates a bit quicker and now it's just a matter teaching her to settle and not be too keen," Dryden said.

"She's a very talented horse and it's just a matter of her putting it all together.

"Once she learns a few more things and hopefully wins a couple of races, we can start to step her up to something bigger down the track."