Perth’s reigning premier stable, Grant and Alana Williams, have been suspended by Racing WA stewards pending the outcome of a positive swab inquiry, leaving the training partnership to fight for the reinstatement of their licences.
The decisive action follows the detection of a prohibited substance in a post-mortem blood sample taken from their galloper Starry Heights, who broke down during last October’s Kalgoorlie Cup.
Starry Heights, eased out of the race by jockey William Pike after sustaining a catastrophic injury, returned a sample that revealed Ritalinic Acid.
Ritalinic Acid is a metabolite of methylphenidate (Ritalin) — a human ADHD medication — and is classified as a Prohibited List A substance under the RWWA Rules of Thoroughbred Racing.
Stewards stood the husband-and-wife team down immediately after the Racing Analytical Services Laboratory (RASL) in Victoria verified the finding on Tuesday.
The co-trainers have been called to appear at a stewards’ inquiry next Tuesday to address how the prohibited substance came to be in Starry Heights, a nine-time winner with nearly $500,000 in prizemoney.
“Ritalin is used to treat people who suffer from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).”