‘Future proofing’ – Waterhouse and Bott secure Leilani Lodge after Maher exit

A year after being overlooked in the Australian Turf Club’s tender process for Leilani Lodge, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have been granted the lease for 65 boxes at the famous Randwick stable.

The ATC confirmed on Thursday the Waterhouse and Bott training partnership’s successful application for the High Street property, which was vacated in 2025 and has since undergone remediation works.

Leilani Lodge was made famous by Hall of Fame trainer Bart Cummings, who operated from the Randwick base during a career that produced a record 12 Melbourne Cup victories.

Maher was selected ahead of Waterhouse and Bott in the original tender process in 2025, but despite securing the lease, Leilani Lodge never became a base for his Sydney operation.

An opportunity opened after Maher’s decision to shift the key part of his NSW stable to Crown Lodge at Warwick Farm following Racing NSW’s acquisition of the property.

It allows Waterhouse and Bott to expand their Randwick presence while retaining their long-established Tulloch Lodge complex.

“It’s exciting for the stable. It’s sort of the jewel in the crown here at Randwick, it just strengthens our position here and, importantly, gives us a nice opportunity for us,” Bott told The Straight.

“It will create a few efficiencies with the workflow and the stable and the operation and the way we’re able to manage the operation of the business itself. That creates a lot of positives for us in that aspect.”

The ATC says the Waterhouse and Bott application supports the consolidation of more horses on course and would improve safety around the Randwick precinct.

“Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are iconic names in Australian racing and are a part of the fabric of Royal Randwick,” chief executive Steve McMahon said.

The ATC has also allocated 20 boxes to Randwick trainer Michael Freedman, who was a shortlisted applicant for Leilani Lodge.

McMahon said the additional boxes for Waterhouse and Bott would eventually remove the need for horses from the stable to cross surrounding roads during daily training activities.

“In time, this move to Leilani Lodge will mean for the first time in the history of Royal Randwick, there will be no horses crossing any road for morning trackwork or afternoon exercise.

“Horse and participant safety was a key factor in the ATC’s decision, further strengthening Royal Randwick as one of the world’s best racing and training centres.”

The change marks another chapter for one of Sydney racing’s most recognisable addresses, which became synonymous with Cummings during his decorated training career.

Leilani Lodge was vacated by Anthony Cummings, Bart’s son, in 2025 before the ATC staged a tender process that resulted in Maher being awarded the lease.

Waterhouse and Bott’s Tulloch Lodge has remained a central part of the Randwick landscape since Gai Waterhouse took over from her father, Hall of Fame trainer Tommy Smith, who enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Cummings during their decorated careers.

Bott said while Tulloch Lodge has been a terrific Randwick base, the Leilani Lodge set-up would benefit the co-ordination of the stables.

“We always faced a few operational challenges, which in today’s environment makes things harder, particularly with labour costs and expenses,” he said.

“You’re always looking for areas where you can improve and future-proof the business, and there’s no better place to do that, especially with the recent upgrades to the facilities here.”

Additional reporting from Bren O’Brien