Howley and Forsman to train from Macedon Lodge

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Tillett and Player to oversee commercially run Victorian facility for new owner Dixon

Macedon Lodge, the renowned private training facility where the winners of Melbourne Cups and a Blue Diamond Stakes have been prepared, will undergo a restructure after being purchased by Victorian businessman Bruce Dixon from long-time owner Lloyd Williams.

Well-known industry racing professionals Mark Player and Matt Tillett have been appointed by Dixon, who reportedly paid $20 million for the 120-hectare property last July, to run the operation, to be developed into a full-service commercial training and pre-training enterprise, located 45 kilometres west of the city’s central business district.

Liam Howley will return to Macedon Lodge as a public trainer where he will take on 50 boxes while fellow Group 1-winning New Zealand trainer Andrew Forsman will open a satellite ten-horse stable at the property to complement his successful operation across the Tasman and the new management team aims to attract more trainers to the centre.

Player, a bloodstock agent and racing administrator with extensive international experience, will act as Macedon Lodge chairman while Tillett has been employed as the company’s general manager.

“It’s got an amazing history for a farm that’s not actually that old. It’s only been around for 20 to 25 years and the amount of Group 1 winners which have come off the place, it’s become a farm that’s famous within Australian racing and the average punter. Everyone knows the name Macedon Lodge,” Tillett told ANZ Bloodstock News. 

“Very few people have been fortunate enough to visit it because it’s been such a closed shop, a private training centre, and it’s got this real appeal about it. 

“We have been discussing for some time how best we can use these facilities to open the doors and get people to be involved in the place and we’re looking to have three to four medium-sized trainers on the facility. 

“A couple could be satellite bases, but hopefully we’ll have a few who will fully relocate their business. Macedon Lodge will offer commercial pre-training and rehab services as well as being the base for a select group of proven Group 1 trainers.” 

A former executive of Healthscope and Spotless Group, investor Dixon’s acquisition of Macedon Lodge will also see the new business provide tenant trainers with administrative and back–office support.

“We’re hoping that coupling the wonderful facilities with the backend support will allow the trainers to focus their time and attention on their horses and it’ll give them the opportunity to compete with the powerful stables,” revealed Tillett, himself well-versed in the thoroughbred industry, having worked for Magic Millions, Darley and Woodside Park and, more recently, for trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy and Mathew Ellerton.

“Obviously they’ll need to keep their finger on the pulse, but if we can manage the day-to-day running of those administrative tasks, they can focus on trying to achieve results for their owners.”

Prior to branching out on his own in 2019 from a private farm at Bindaree with use of the Kyneton racecourse, Howley spent ten years at Macedon Lodge, firstly as an assistant before being promoted to head trainer where he prepared the Lloyd Williams-owned Group 1 winners Almandin (Monsun) (2018 Tancred Stakes, 2400m) and Homesman (War Front) (2018 Underwood Stakes, 1800m).

Potential Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) contender Virtuous Circle (Almanzor), a three-year-old colt who was runner-up in the Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) and the Moonee Valley Vase (Gr 2, 2040m) during the spring, will spearhead Howley’s stable from the new location where he intends to have up to 50 horses in work at any one time, likely to be from March 1.

“I have always had the view that training a young team of horses out of there would be very exciting and I’ve got the right team of staff and the right team of horses to make it happen,” Howley told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.

“Going back, there were plenty of young horses trained out of Macedon Lodge and we would have had plenty of young horses racing out of there, but the preference from the Williams’s was to always have them racing at a mile and a half, so I don’t think the horses they put through it is a true reflection of the facilities – yes, it’s the right property to keep those stayers nice and relaxed – but I think a young team of horses is going to really thrive in there. 

“The tracks are outstanding, the paddocks and the space available is great, so they’re going to get every chance.”

Howley, who could have horses based at Macedon Lodge as soon as next month, will also have a 20-horse barn on course at Kyneton, about 15 minutes from Macedon Lodge, allowing him “the best of both worlds”.

“We’ve taken the yearling route and taken a lot of risk in buying what we think are quality horses and bringing good people into the stable to race them with us and the next step in the progression of the business is to get the facility that fits (our business model),” Howley said. 

“Bindaree has been great, but it was a starting point for us and now we’ve probably outgrown it naturally anyway, so I was on the lookout for a bigger facility and particularly complemented with an on-course facility as well and we’ve been able to secure that. 

“With Macedon, it was the obvious choice and too good to pass up.”

Forsman, who went solo last May from his Cambridge base upon the retirement of New Zealand Racing Hall Of Fame trainer Murray Baker, prepared seven winners during last year’s Melbourne spring carnival, including Edward Manifold Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) winner She’s Licketysplit (Turn Me Loose) and Norman Robinson Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) winner Mr Maestro (Savabeel).

The trainer had been considering his Australian options for some time, but finding stables close to Melbourne was imperative to him proceeding with the expansion.

“It’s obviously a little way from getting off the ground… and I have to get a few things lined up from my end, but it is definitely the intention to start off with about ten horses over there and run it as a satellite set-up early and see how it goes from there,” Forsman said.

“It is important that I have the right staff and at this stage it is lining up OK. If you’ve got horses who are campaigned over there they don’t necessarily have to come back to New Zealand. While that’s not a disadvantage, it’s another cost to the owner at times, so you could at least avoid that. 

“As much as anything, I think through the quieter period here in New Zealand, and the tracks can get quite wet here and stay that way for a long time, if owners do have horses who are up and going well here, they have that extra opportunity to race in Australia.”

Macedon Lodge has a 1600-metre uphill track, a 1000-metre round track, a bullring, a 75-metre straight pool, equine solarium and a water walker, but Dixon is set to enhance the infrastructure on the farm.

“I know they are looking at putting in an extra sand track, which is important to me, and then I think there’s scope to put another grass gallop in there as well,” Forsman said. 

“They (new management) are proactive and they are keen to help out where they can and there’s enough facilities there to make it work as it is with a good uphill gallop, a synthetic track there as well and there’s grass gallop opportunities only a short float ride away as well (at Kyneton). 

“The set up itself works really well.”

The Sheila Laxon-trained Ethereal (Rhythm) was prepared at Macedon Lodge to win the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) and Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) in 2001, while the Williams-owned Cup winners trained from the property he bought in 2005 have been Efficient (Zabeel) (2007), Green Moon (Montjeu) (2012) and Almandin (2016).

John Symons trained 2002 Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) from Macedon Lodge for a syndicate, which included the property’s original owner Kurt Stern who developed it into a pristine thoroughbred facility.

Since Dixon, 65, bought Macedon Lodge in the middle of last year, he has leased the property back to the Williams and his son Nick, but they have now vacated the property.

“Upon purchasing the property, the Williams family proposed to lease back the facility for several months, which gave me time to develop a model to fully utilise the incredible horse facilities and make it the ideal place to work or own a horse,” Dixon said, “I have brought in two respected racing industry people to help me develop the new model: Matt Tillett and Mark Player.” 

Macedon Lodge was first listed for sale in late 2019, but the pandemic stalled interest, prompting the owner to take it off the market before relisting it in February last year.

Player has worked in the thoroughbred industry for 30 years and has been fortunate to have visited the world’s premier training centres and he is confident Macedon Lodge will retain its enviable status under the new model.

“I have no doubt that Macedon Lodge is in the upper echelon of the very best facilities in the world,” Player said.

“We want Macedon Lodge to be the centre of equine excellence. There will be an unparalleled care and attention to detail for each horse as well as a better work-life balance for the trainers and staff that work at the facility.”