Horses warming up at Paul Messara's training centre near Scone

Last week during my visit to the Hunter Valley breeding region around Scone I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to inspect Paul Messara’s amazing training facility which adjoins his dad’s (John Messara) magnificent Arrowfield Stud.

I inspected the facility on Tuesday afternoon of last week and attended track work the next morning at 6.30am.  Trust me; this training set up would be the envy of every trainer in Australasia.  It is state-of-the-art in every respect, from the all-weather surface to the aqua-walker, to the straight swimming pool to the ‘E-Trakka’ computerised system attached to the saddle of every horse.  Oh, and I forgot the viewing tower complete with cappuccino maker!

One of the horses working that morning was Rekindled Alliance (Redoute’s Choice ex Rekindled Affair, by Rainbow Quest).  He’s a contender for Saturday’s A$400,000 Spring Champion Stakes-Gr.1 at Royal Randwick.

The Messara camp has high hopes for Rekindled Alliance.  He’s had the three starts to date for a debut win at Canterbury; a second at Rosehill Gardens and a last-start second in the Gr.3 Spring Stakes (1600m) at Newcastle behind Darci be Good.

Redkindled Alliance is a brother to the dual Gr.2-winning Rekindled Interest; a half-brother to an American stakes winner; a half-brother to a French stakes winner and a half-brother to a stakes-placed performer in Italy.  His dam has done a wonderful job and judging by the shape Rekindled Alliance is in at the moment, another black type winner looks a distinct possibility for the mare.