The Australian Turf Club (ATC) has granted the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott training partnership a lease for 65 boxes at the former Leilani Lodge stables at Royal Randwick.
The decision will allow the prominent training operation to consolidate more of its stabling on-course, with improved safety for horses and racing participants a key consideration behind the move.
Waterhouse and Bott currently operate from their main Tulloch Lodge base. The additional boxes at Leilani Lodge will remove the need to move horses along Bowral Street and Doncaster Avenue when travelling between the stable and training facilities.
ATC CEO Steve McMahon said the change would eventually mean horses would no longer need to cross any road for morning trackwork or afternoon exercise at Royal Randwick.
He described Waterhouse and Bott as an established part of the racecourse and said the arrangement would further strengthen Royal Randwick's position as a major racing and training centre.
The former Leilani Lodge facility became available after being vacated in May 2025. Remediation works have since been carried out to modernise the stables before their return to use.
Waterhouse and Bott were selected following an application process in which fellow Royal Randwick trainer Michael Freedman was also shortlisted.
While Freedman did not secure the Leilani Lodge lease, the ATC has allocated a further 20 boxes to his operation at Royal Randwick.
The allocations form part of the ATC's broader management of training infrastructure at the venue, which hosts some of Australia's largest racing events and serves as a major base for Sydney trainers.
Leilani Lodge has been vacant since May 2025 and has undergone significant remediation works to bring the facility up to modern standards
