Flemington, the best-known and oldest racecourse in Australia, is also the Melbourne home of some of the country’s greatest trainers.

Some 550 horses are prepared at the world-famous course to win major races throughout Australia.

As at February 2013, our Flemington based trainers, together with their contact details, are:  

Nigel Blackiston - Blackiston Racing
Phone: (03) 9376 6094
Email: nblackiston@bigpond.com.au
Website: http://www.blackistonracing.com.au

Bart Cummings - Bart Cummings Racing 
Phone: (02) 9376 6775
Email: racing@bartcummings.com.au
Website: http://www.bartcummings.com.au/

Mathew Ellerton - Ellerton Zahra Racing
Phone: (03) 9376 3112
Email:  racing@ellertonzahraracing.com.au
Website: http://ellertonzahraracing.com.au/

Saab Hasan - Hasan Racing Stables
Phone: (03) 9376 3100
Email: saab@hasanracingstables.com
Website: http://hasanracingstables.com/

John Hawkes - Hawkes Racing
Phone: (02) 9637 1244
Email: john@hawkesracing.com.au
Website: http://www.hawkesracing.com.au/

David Hayes - Lindsay Park
Phone: (03) 9340 7800
Email: susan@lindsaypark.com.au
Website: http://www.lindsaypark.com.au/

Tom Hughes Jr. - Tommy Hughes Racing
Phone: 0413 872 345
Email: tommyhughesracing@gmail.com

Mark Kavanagh - Kavanagh Racing
Phone: (03) 9372 6547
Email:  mark@kavanaghracing.com
Website: http://www.kavanaghracing.com/

Dean Lawson
Phone: (03) 9375 2755
Email: drlawson@imetro.com.au

Mike Moroney - Ballymore Stables
Phone: (03) 9372 3558
Email: anthony@ballymorestables.com.au
Website: http://www.ballymorestables.com.au/

Danny O’Brien - Danny O'Brien Racing
Phone: (03) 9372 2466
Email: danny@dannyobrienracing.com.au
Website: http://www.dannyobrienracing.com.au/

John Sadler - Malua Racing
Phone: (03) 9376 6618
Email: troy@maluaracing.com.au
Website: http://www.maluaracing.com.au/

Anthony Freedman - Anthony Freedman Racing
Phone: (03) 9372 1222
Email: freedman@freedman.com.au
Website: http://www.freedman.com.au/

Steve Richards - Steve Richards Racing
Phone: (03) 9337 9665
Email: stevenrichards@optusnet.com.au
Website: http://steverichardsracing.com.au/

Steve McKinnon
Phone: (03) 9376 6367
Email: mckinnon@bigpond.com

Mick Cerchi
Phone: (03) 9309 336
Email: flemingtonlodge@bigpond.com

Garry Frearson
Phone: 0417 536 205
Email: garryfrearson@bigpond.com

Troy Portelli - Portelli Racing
Phone: (02) 9601 8612
Email: troyportelli@iprimus.com.au
Website: http://portelliracing.com.au/

Paul Snowden - Darley
Phone: (03) 9946 5900
Email: pgsnowden@darley.com.au
Website: http://www.darley.com.au/

Gai Waterhouse - Gai Waterhouse Racing
Phone: (02) 9662 1488
Email: natasha@gaiwaterhouse.com.au
Website: http://www.gaiwaterhouse.com.au/

Chris Waller - Chris Waller Racing 
Phone: (02) 9637 9652
Email: cwallerracing@bigpond.com
Website: http://www.cwallerracing.com/

Stephen Brown - Stephen Brown Racing
Phone: 0488 187 446
Email: svbrownracing@live.com.au

Stable facilities

Today, Flemington boasts some of the finest training facilities in Australia including a pro-ride surface, two sand tracks and two grass surfaces. Complete with a swimming facility, it has all the amenities a trainer requires to bring out the best in their runners.

Flemington has always been one of Melbourne's leading racehorse training centres, with special training tracks and facilities. For the first hundred years or more, trainers established their stables in the surrounding neighbourhood and walked their horses to the course each day.

In the 1960s, the VRC built its first on-course stables, first leased to Tony Lopes as Chicquita Lodge. Between 1997 and 2003, the VRC constructed an entire village of training stables on the south-eastern section of the racecourse, and these can now accommodate 800 horses.

Here are some facts:

• 1960s - Chicquita Lodge built, leased to Tony Lopes
• 1967 - Extension of Smithfield Road area stables (originally built in the 19th century as ‘stripping sheds’ for trainers bringing horses to the track for traing) a.k.a Community Stables 
• 1988 - John Meagher takes over and refurbishes Chocquita Lodge
• 1991 - Plans to build more stables
• By 1998 - Training facilities for 650 on course
• "Between 1997 and 2003 the VRC constructed an entire village of training stables on the south-eastern section of Flemington racecourse, which became the Melbourne base for John Hawkes, David Hall, John Sadler and the Lindsay Park stables." Vol.3 pp. 244-45 HATR
• 2006 - Demolition of Smithfield Road stables