Leading Western Australian trainers Grant and Alana Williams have been disqualified for 12 months after pleading guilty to a prohibited substance charge involving Starry Heights.
Racing WA stewards concluded their penalty deliberations after the training partnership pleaded guilty to a charge under AR 240(2).
The charge related to Starry Heights being presented to race at Kalgoorlie on October 4, 2025, when the Prohibited List A substance ritalinic acid was subsequently detected in a post-mortem sample.
The sample was taken after Starry Heights had competed in Race 8 and been eased out of the event.
Ritalinic acid is a metabolite of methylphenidate and is classified under the Australian Rules of Racing as a Prohibited List A substance, giving it the status of a permanently banned substance.
After considering the circumstances of the case, Racing WA stewards imposed a 12-month disqualification effective immediately.
The Williams partnership had previously been suspended from January 19 to February 16, 2026 before being granted a stay of proceedings.
That 29-day period will be credited towards the penalty, meaning their disqualification is due to expire on August 29, 2027.
In determining the penalty, stewards considered the trainers’ guilty plea and personal circumstances, the purpose of the relevant rule in maintaining racing integrity, the nature of the prohibited substance and previous penalties in other matters.
Submissions were made that the detection of ritalinic acid had resulted from contamination, but stewards were not satisfied there was sufficient evidence to accept that explanation.
As a result, the inquiry was unable to establish an accepted explanation for how the prohibited substance came to be detected in Starry Heights.
