Premier Sydney trainer Chris Waller has confirmed he is looking for permanent stables in Melbourne to alleviate the need to run stablemates against each other.
Waller often has multiple runners in Sydney races and says a southern base would help spread his horses and optimise the return to owners.
“I applied for boxes some time ago but there weren’t any available,” Waller said.
“I would like ten or even 20 in Melbourne.
“It would mean we would be able to send horses down there so they don’t have to run against each other in Sydney.”
The imminent closure of the Patinack Farm stables at Flemington means 50 boxes will become available due to Nathan Tinkler’s restructure of his racing interests.
Waller said he had not heard whether any of those stables would be made available to him.
“I don’t mind whether they are at Flemington or Caulfield, I would go to either,” he said.
A double at Rosehill on Saturday took Waller to 57-1/2 wins for the season which began on August 1 and more than 30 clear of rivals Gai Waterhouse and Peter Snowden who are both in the 20s.
One of his two Rosehill winners, Sacred Star, is being considered for a tilt at the Group One Levin Classic in New Zealand on Friday week.
Waller came to Sydney from New Zealand a decade ago and although he would love to go back and claim a Group One at home, it is likely the three-year-old will be under Tony Pike’s name if he contests the race.
“There is a reciprocal arrangement with the owners, the Raffles Syndicate, that I train some horses for them here and Tony trains them over there.
“I’ll talk things over with the owners. They have to pay a late entry fee to put him in the race.”
Pike celebrated his first Group One success last week when Sacred Falls won the Two Thousand Guineas at Riccarton.
The Raffles syndicate is headed by Malaysian businessman Dato Yap Kim San whose extensive New Zealand interests are managed by Bruce Sherwin.
The Raffles team’s biggest Australian success came last year with the Danny O’Brien-trained Shamrocker, winner of the Australian Derby.
