O'Sullivan initially wanted the horse to race at Morphettville on Saturday but forecasts for a hot day made tonight's group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley more appealing.

Hollowlea, a winner of the Group 2 Stutt Stakes in 2010, is on the comeback trail after a year out of racing.

O'Sullivan said he was keen to see the gelding back to 2000 metres. He said if the horse ran well, the Group 1 Australian Cup in March could be on the radar.

"He ran third to Rekindled Interest and Victoria Derby winner Lion Tamer which shows he has the ability. I would like to get him back to 2000 metres," he said.

O'Sullivan said Hollowlea did not handle the heat in the Group 3 Standish Stakes at Flemington on January 2.

"The heat knocked him around, but he seems to be going well now. I will run him in Adelaide on Saturday and then there is a mile race at Caulfield in a couple of weeks," he said.

Hollowlea is one of O'Sullivan's most promising types, along with mare Exceptionally, who is on the comeback trail from a brusing spring campaign.

O'Sullivan believes a rock-hard track at Caulfield for the Naturalism Stakes injured his stayer.

"She has had a lot of problems with her pelvis. I believe the hard track that day really wrecked her," he said.

"I heard Danny O'Brien talk about the injuries to Shamrocker and it was exactly the same, except he would not blame the track."

O'Sullivan said Exceptionally was a month away from returning to trackwork, putting an autumn campaign out of the question.

"We might look at Queensland during the winter. I think she will find a couple of soft tracks up there," he said.

"It will also help put miles in her legs ahead of spring. It has worked for Melbourne Cup winners Viewed, Ethereal and Shocking in the past."

While O'Sullivan is trying to nurse his established performers back to their best, he is bullish about the potential of two-year-old filly Chasing Kisses.

Third at Flemington on Saturday, Chasing Kisses showed enough potential for O'Sullivan to keep persisting.

"It was a slowly-run pace. I thought she got herself a bit lost at stages. But when she let down she really let down and hit the line hard," he said.

"I would look towards a race like the Sires Produce for her."