Arsenic positive costs Michael Grantham trainers’ premiership

West Australian trainer Michael Grantham has lost the 2025/26 metropolitan trainers’ premiership after an arsenic positive resulted in Western Miss being disqualified from her Belmont victory.

Grantham was fined $4000 after a post-race urine sample taken from Western Miss following her win at Belmont on July 8 returned arsenic above the permitted threshold.

The subsequent disqualification had significant premiership implications, reducing Grantham’s metropolitan tally for the season to 59 winners.

Grant and Alana Williams have consequently been awarded the premiership with 60 city winners, having originally finished one victory behind Grantham.

Adding to the significance of the result, the Williams-trained Conchetta’s Dream finished runner-up to Western Miss in the 1700m Class 3 event and was promoted to first following the disqualification.

At a stewards’ inquiry, Grantham pleaded guilty to a charge under AR 240(2) after Western Miss’s urine sample was found to contain arsenic at a concentration exceeding the permitted threshold of 0.30 milligrams per litre.

Stewards were satisfied the most likely source of the elevated arsenic reading was Western Miss ingesting CCA-treated timber from a single pine post located at Grantham’s property.

It was not the first time Grantham had faced an arsenic-related matter, having been convicted of three offences in 2024 involving horses ingesting CCA-treated pine posts. He was fined $2000 for each of those offences at a single inquiry.

Following the previous cases, Grantham introduced preventative measures including electrified barrier wiring and protective wire coverings on fences. He was also in the process of replacing pine-post fencing across the property, which houses more than 60 horses in training.

Stewards noted there were no products containing arsenic at Grantham’s training establishment and took into account his guilty plea and personal circumstances when determining the $4000 penalty.

Racing WA has subsequently reminded trainers with CCA-treated timber on their properties to inspect horses before they race or trial, with horses showing evidence of recent or further chewing to be withdrawn.

Stewards have also warned that trainers who fail to implement adequate preventative measures could face suspension penalties given the established risks associated with CCA-treated timber.