Grantham fined, stripped of WA metro trainers’ premiership

Western Australian Michael Grantham has been fined $4000 after arsenic above the permitted threshold was detected in a post-race urine sample from Western Miss at Belmont on July 8.

The horse was disqualified from her victory, meaning Grantham’s metropolitan trainers’ premiership has also been rescinded and handed to Grant and Alana Williams.

The runner-up in the 1700m Class 3 race, Conchetta’s Dream, is trained by the Williamses, with the disqualification of Western Miss meaning Grantham trained 59 city winners in 2025/26, one behind the now premier trainers.

At a stewards’ inquiry, Grantham pleaded guilty to a charge under AR 240(2) after Western Miss returned a urine sample containing arsenic at a concentration above the 0.30 milligrams per litre threshold.

The stewards were satisfied the arsenic was likely to have resulted from Western Miss ingesting CCA-treated timber from a single pine post at Grantham’s property.

Grantham had previously been convicted in 2024 of three offences involving arsenic linked to horses ingesting CCA-treated pine posts, with three fines of $2000 imposed at a single inquiry.

Since those convictions, Grantham has introduced measures including electrified barrier wiring and protective wire coverings on fences and was in the process of replacing pine-post fencing across his property, where more than 60 horses were in training.

The stewards also noted there were no products containing arsenic at Grantham’s training establishment and considered his guilty plea and personal circumstances when determining the penalty.

Racing WA has reminded trainers that horses from properties where CCA-treated timber is present should be inspected before racing or trialling and withdrawn where there is evidence of further or fresh chewing.

The stewards warned that failure to take adequate preventative measures may result in suspension penalties given the known risks associated with CCA-treated timber.