Group One winner Shootoff is well on the way back but his trainer doesn't think he'll be quite ready to win at Group One level on Boxing Day.

Shootoff has his second run back from a year's injury-forced break when he lines up against top New Zealand weight-for-age performers Shez Sinsational and Veyron in the Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie.

In his first run back from injury, the 2011 Queensland Derby winner finished 12th of 15 runners in a listed 1400m sprint at Te Rapa on December 15, a run which pleased trans-Tasman trainer Graeme Rogerson.

"He carried 60 kilos and they ran 1 minute 22 for 1400m. He was wanting to come back at them. I thought it was a very good run," Rogerson said.

"But you can't say that he'd be at his peak after all the things he's had. Hopefully he will be at his peak by the Te Rapa meeting in February, and I'd like to think he'd be very competitive when I go back to Sydney with him."

Rogerson said most of Shootoff's work had been on the aqua-walker at his stable on the outskirts of Hamilton and he had developed "a mass of muscle".

Shez Sinsational was beaten into second in the Queensland Derby by Shootoff but she has won multiple Group One races since and will be at short odds to win her second consecutive Zabeel Classic on Boxing Day.

Rogerson holds a stronger hand in the Group Two Eight Carat Classic for three-year-old fillies, with Eulogy Stakes winner Soriano and exciting newcomer Costume looking good chances.

Soriano came from last to run third in the Group One Levin Classic before easily winning the Group Three Eulogy Stakes and will be fancied to run well again, while Costume looked good when coming from last to win a 1400m race at Ellerslie on December 12.

Rogerson also felt Dorian Gray gave him a good chance in the other Group Two on Boxing Day, the Great Northern Guineas.