Ron Leemon is happy to have Group One winner Manawanui back but at the same time admits he’s apprehensive ahead of his stable star’s Randwick comeback.

Manawanui runs in Saturday’s Hall Mark Stakes for his first start since he suffering a bleeding attack in a Group Two race at Randwick last September.

That meant a mandatory three-month ban for the 2011 Golden Rose winner but Leemon has taken much longer to produce the gelding back at the races to minimise the risk of a recurrence.

“It’s good to have him back but I’m still a bit apprehensive,” Leemon said.

“We’ve still got to get through the race, that’s the next thing.

“A lot of hard work has gone into him and so far it’s been successful.”

Manawanui has been in work since mid-December with Leemon deliberately taking his time in preparing the four-year-old for a return.

That slow build-up has included three pleasing barrier trials and the trainer said Manawanui would be ridden quietly on Saturday and hopefully be finishing strongly.

A Brisbane campaign including the Doomben 10,000 is being considered should things go to plan first-up, but Leemon said the Group One Goodwood in Adelaide was also a consideration.

“It depends on the state of the tracks,” Leemon said.

“I won’t run him on slow or heavy tracks.

“If he went really well, we might even turn around and say we’ll wait for the spring. We’ve just got to see what happens.”