Leading South Australian trainer Phillip Stokes expects to have a new Victorian facility at Pakenham up and running next year.
Stokes has won 22 stakes races with raiders from his Morphettville base in recent years but the trainer has secured a parcel of land at the Pakenham racing centre.
"I've bought a block at Pakenham because I think it's a place that will really go ahead," Stokes said.
"I want the best facilities to train my horses on and they are putting in another training track there and I think next year it is going to be a really good training centre."
Stokes said he expects to have stables in place in 2018 and the Pakenham yard will start as a satellite stable before he weighs up whether to expand the Victorian operation in the future.
Stokes said he initially wanted a metropolitan base but was happy to set up his latest Victoria base at Pakenham.
"I'd ideally like to train at Caulfield but they are not letting any new trainers go in there," Stokes said.
"That's why I bought this block at Pakenham and then I'll own it and I look forward to developing it.
"I'm hoping to build a barn there next year and hopefully I'll have 10 there full-time."
