Lightly-raced mare Kisses takes the next step to resurrecting the form that gave her a stakes win in New Zealand when she races at Canterbury.

A newcomer to the Gerald Ryan yard at Rosehill, the four-year-old beat her well-performed stablemate Red Excitement in a recent barrier trial in preparation for Wednesday's benchmark 75 over 1100 metres.

Kisses won the Listed NZ Bloodstock Airfreight Stakes (1600m) in April when trained by Mark Fraser-Campin.

She was unplaced in three Australian starts for Bjorn Baker before being transferred to Ryan for a change of scenery

"She was really good in the trial," Ryan said.

"We don't have any grand plans yet. I'd like to see her in a race first but she is a very nice mare and already a stakes winner."

Kisses will be ridden by Paul Hammersley who recently relocated from Queensland to try his luck in Sydney where he was originally apprenticed to Graeme Rogerson.

"Paul won the Queensland Oaks on Mon Mekki for me while he was still an apprentice," Ryan said.

"He's been in great form since he came down here and it would be nice to get another winner together."

Hammersley, who has ridden 27 winners from 212 rides since his return to the NSW riding ranks on August 31, was still a three kilo claiming apprentice when he won the 2002 Oaks on Mon Mekki.

Kisses was a $7 chance in TAB's fixed odds market on Wednesday with the John O'Shea-trained Kencella the $3.50 favourite.

Kencella has won two of his past three starts and was a close third last time out on the Kensington track.

The aptly named Merry Christmas was also under double figures at $8.50 to pick up where he left off when he won at Newcastle in August.