Racing: Home of Cup winners goes on market

Bloodstock company William Inglis and Sons has been employed to seek an international buyer. Photo / Thinkstock

Victorian owner Lloyd Williams has placed his lavish Mt Macedon horse training facility, northeast of Melbourne, on the market.

Overseas buyers, including Qatari and Dubai sheiks, are believed to be key targets in the global search for a buyer, reports the Herald Sun.

Williams, who owns a 270ha farm just outside Mornington, will transfer his training operation to the Mornington Peninsula.

Williams said the transition would take place over the next 18 months and it was designed to ensure future generations of the family maintained the obsession for racehorses.

His son Nick lives in Melbourne but has a property near Portsea. Hall Of Fame horse trainer Lee Freedman, who retired two years ago and now works for Williams, had been a long-time Mornington Peninsula resident.

Williams bought Macedon Lodge from Kert Stern in 2007 for about A$5 million. He spent at least that amount on refurbishments that had the property regarded as the most state-of-the-art facility in Victoria.

Green Moon, winner of the 2012 Melbourne Cup, and last year's Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner were among the dozens of feature race winners trained from Macedon Lodge, a Nirvana of 8000m of training tracks, a horse pool, water walker and 75 stables.

Bloodstock company William Inglis and Sons has been employed to seek an international buyer.

A source said it was unlikely an Australian buyer would be "big enough" to be interested in Macedon Lodge, which could be worth as much as A$20 million ($21.9 million).

Targets could include Sheikh Fahad, the Qatari billionaire and owner of 2011 Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden. Sheikh Fahad has announced he will increase his presence in Australian racing.