Top WA Training Partnership Split Due To Vaccine Mandate

[Chief Stipe]

UPDATED: Covid mandate forced shock training split

Luke Currie and Trainer Grant Williams with Arcadia Queen after winning the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington. Picture: Scott Barbour—Racing Photos via Getty Images.

 

 

By Adam Dobbin
02:02pm • 01 February 2022

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West Australia’s most celebrated training partnership of Grant and Alana Williams has been dissolved due to the state’s looming vaccination mandate.

From Tuesday, Grant Williams will be the sole trainer for the powerhouse stable, with it understood that Alana Williams’ Covid-19 vaccination stance has precluded her from maintaining any official involvement on race day or at their Karnup training base.

Late last year, Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) announced that it was introducing a state-wide mandate for the three racing codes which would require participants to be double vaccinated for Covid-19 from Saturday, February 5.

The decision sent shockwaves through the industry with the highest profile casualty leading WA hoop William Pike who has enjoyed immense success for the 11-time group 1 winning Grant and Alana Williams stable.

Pike recently announced that as a result of the mandate he was moving to Sydney to continue his riding career given his much publicised vaccination position.

As a team, the husband and wife training duo notched up 529 wins from 2054 starts, including 11 Group 1s, 11 Group 2s and 23 Group 3s.

Their biggest victory came via Arcadia Queen in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington in 2020, while this season they scooped all three group 1 races in Perth, including the Railway Stakes, Winterbottom Stakes and Kingston Town Classic.

Thoroughbred racing isn’t the only code affected by the looming WA vaccination mandate with leading greyhound trainer Dave Hobby poised to hang up the collar and lead following a distinguished career spanning four decades.

The multiple premiership winning trainer has been a dominant force in WA greyhound racing winning just about every big race on the calendar.

But after citing medical reasons for his decision not to be vaccinated, Hobby is set to walk away from the sport this weekend, leaving a significant void in the WA training ranks.

Alana Williams was contacted for comment for this story.

[holy ravioli]

WA is another so called 'hermit kingdom'...but McGowan has not buckled to the intense pressure from the BAU faction...i.e the greedy big biz sector who couldn't care less about people dying...if it hinders making bugs bunny.