Joe Pride is solid in his belief Rain Affair can fulfil his Group One potential but admits he has a tough assignment if it is to be this week.

Rain Affair runs first-up in the Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill where he will have to beat a star studded field including More Joyous and Pierro.

But Pride doesn't believe it is necessarily a match race between the Gai Waterhouse-trained stablemates.

"It is a tough race to start off in," Pride said.

"But I'm very happy with him and his barrier trials have been just what I wanted to see."

More Joyous has won the past two runnings of the Canterbury Stakes which is being run this year at Group One level for the first time.

Although eight of Rain Affair's wins have been on rain-affected tracks, he has performed with the best on top of the ground.

He won last year's Group Two Apollo Stakes on a good track and ran Group One seconds in the TJ Smith and All Aged Stakes won respectively by Master Of Design and Atlantic Jewel.

"There's no doubting he performs better than a lot of other horses in the wet," Pride said.

Rain Affair had an operation on a knee after two unplaced runs in the spring and has won two barrier trials leading into his return.

His program will again encompass the TJ Smith and the All Aged.

Also making his return in the Canterbury Stakes after a summer break is Queenslander Solzhenitsyn.

The six-year-old won the Toorak Handicap in the spring to give premier Brisbane trainer Rob Heathcote his second Group One victory, his first coming earlier in the year with Woorim in the Oakleigh Plate.

Heathcote was forced to retire Woorim last week when the gelding's ongoing hoof problems made it impossible to continue his racing career.

Damian Browne, who won the Oakleigh Plate on Woorim, sticks with the stable and rides Solzhenitsyn in the Canterbury Stakes.

Heathcote is well aware of the task confronting Solzhenitsyn in the Canterbury Stakes against More Joyous and Pierro but was impressed with the gelding's barrier trial win at Eagle Farm last Tuesday.

"He jumped out, travelled on the bit and ran away from them to win by more than three lengths," he said.