Ramornie Handicap winner Battlefield will return to trainer Paul Messara's stables on Monday to prepare for a Group One autumn campaign in Melbourne.Crowned NSW Country Horse of the Year on Friday, Battlefield has recovered from a minor setback which ruled him out of the Melbourne spring carnival.The four-year-old hurt his knee when he shied at a bird coming following trackwork and missed his chance to contest the Group Two Salinger Stakes.Messara, who is based in the NSW Hunter Valley town of S

Ramornie Handicap winner Battlefield will return to trainer Paul Messara's stables on Monday to prepare for a Group One autumn campaign in Melbourne.

Crowned NSW Country Horse of the Year on Friday, Battlefield has recovered from a minor setback which ruled him out of the Melbourne spring carnival.

The four-year-old hurt his knee when he shied at a bird coming following trackwork and missed his chance to contest the Group Two Salinger Stakes.

Messara, who is based in the NSW Hunter Valley town of Scone, has high hopes for Battlefield in the major Group One sprints during the autumn before he returns to Sydney to prepare for the rich autumn carnival next year.

"It was only a minor setback," Messara said.

"He comes back to my stables on Monday and I think he'll definitely be a Group One contender next year.

"He's come back in great order."

Battlefield has won five of his seven starts but Messara believes the gelding should be unbeaten.

"He nearly should have won all his races," Messara said.

"He's a very good horse and he's got something a lot of horses don't have.

"He can throw in a 10-1/2 second furlong (200 metres) which a lot of horses can't do.

"His record could easily be seven from seven."

Battlefield's injury also forced Messara to abandon plans to send him to New Zealand as a litmus test for a possible trip to England in June.

Messara was keen to test the waters across the Tasman in the Group One Telegraph Handicap (1200m) in January ahead of a trip to England for the King's Stand Stakes and Golden Jubilee in June.

Battlefield is a son of Choisir who put Australian sprinters on the map in England when he won the famous Ascot double in 2003.

Battlefield drew comparisons with champion Takeover Target when he won the Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton in July.

"He won the Ramornie with half a kilogram more than Takeover Target who was a year older than Battlefield," Messara said.

Takeover Target followed up his victory in the 2004 Ramornie Handicap by winning the Salinger Stakes at his next start when it was a Group One.

It was the beginning of a cult following for Takeover Target whose career ended when he was injured in the July Cup at Newmarket earlier this year.

Daniel Ganderton, who has ridden Battlefield to three wins including the Ramornie, will join Messara's stable for the final months of his apprenticeship.

Formerly with Gai Waterhouse, Ganderton expects to be back in action in mid-December after recovering from a broken leg.