Paul Messara, a young man who is showing that you can be a national force as a trainer from a country base with good material at your disposal, had a big high and a bad low when he took four horses to the meeting at his home town Scone, the Horse Capital of Australia, this week.

The only three to race were all winners, but their achievements were blighted when the other horse, the good Sydney autumn sprint prospect Battlefield, suffered an injury during an exhibition gallop and had to be put down.

This 5-year-old Choisir gelding trained by Messara for an Arrowfield stud partnership, including media personality Alan Jones, had only raced seven times, but had won five times, including four in succession last winter, the last of them the Ramornie at Grafton in July. He collected the title of NSW Country Horse of the Year.

Paul Messara prepares his big stable of horses at one of the best private training complexes ever in Australia. It is located on the giant Arrowfield stud operation established by his father John Messara at the northern end of the Segenhoe valley near Scone and is host for many competitors at Sydney meetings and also at interstate carnivals.Three horses trained by Paul Messara, including Alverta, a Group1 winner in Australia and a contestant in England at Royal Ascot and Newmarket (third in the July Cup won by another Aussie, Starspangledbanner), have been named in the World Rankings for the best of 2010.

Alverta’s racing career has included two outings on the marvelous racecourse at Scone, a debut win and a second in the Listed Dark Jewel Classic, one of the features of the annual Scone Cup carnival.
The establishment of the Arrowfield training complex has boosted the quality of racing at both Scone and neighbouring Muswellbrook, each so solidly supported that most events have capacity fields.

Like most studs in the Hunter Valley, the John Messara directed Arrowfield stud is a major sponsor of racing, both nationally and locally. Newest sponsorship from Arrowfield is for two $30,000 preludes to the annual Scone Cup carnival to be run at Muswellbrook on Friday April 29. Each also carrying BOBS rewards up to $18,000, they are an event for juveniles and an open sprint.

If eligible, the winners of each race can earn exemption from ballot for rich races on the two day Scone Cup carnival two be held two weeks later, Friday and Saturday May 13 and 14. Probably the richest carnival ever programmed by a country town in the world, it will see nearly $2million distributed and eight races, including two stakes, each carrying $100,000 plus.

The Saturday racing, one highlighted by the $300,000 plus Inglis 3YO Guineas, the $175,000 Dark Jewel and $130,000 events for 2 and 3-year-old fillies, makes history by taking the place of the Sydney meeting normally held that day.

The adding of the two $30,000 races to the Muswellbrook program could be a stimulant for far away trainers to spend the two weeks in the region.The Muswellbrook meeting is at the start of the two week long Scone Horse Festival.