Grant and Alana Williams resume training after tribunal stays disqualification

Grant and Alana Williams can resume training immediately after the Racing Penalties Appeal Tribunal (RPAT) stayed the 12-month disqualification imposed on them by Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) stewards on September 28.

The stay runs until the end of the appeal hearing on November 23, and the trainers may apply at that point to have it extended, RWWA said. The Williamses lodged their notice of appeal and stay application on October 16, and stewards filed their objection to the stay on October 26.

The partnership was disqualified under AR 240 (2) after the Prohibited List A substance ritalinic acid, a metabolite of methylphenidate, was found in a post-mortem sample from Starry Heights, which was eased out of the Kalgoorlie Cup on October 4, 2025, and later euthanised after suffering catastrophic injuries.

The Williamses pleaded guilty to the presentation charge, but stewards rejected their contamination submissions and set the penalty to expire on August 29, 2027, after crediting 29 days of earlier licence suspension.

The trainers, who won the 2025/26 Perth metropolitan premiership with 60 winners, are appealing the severity of the penalty. The Western Australian Racing Trainers Association has backed them, calling the disqualification “manifestly excessive”.