Team Williams Primed For Group 1 Weekend
6 December, 2018
Harness
Father-son combination Ray and Grant Williams will record a unique achievement this weekend where they will saddle up Group 1 runners across two different codes.
Ray heads to Gloucester Park on Friday night to oversee six-year-old mare Millview Sienna in the Group 1 Mares Classic, before Grant, along with wife Alana, launches a three-pronged attack on the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic at Ascot on Saturday.
Grant had, arguably, his finest hour as a thoroughbred trainer on Railway Stakes day last month, where he had Galaxy Star take out the Railway Stakes and Arcadia Queen take out the WA Guineas.
The pair represent the Williams stable in the Group 1 at Ascot on Saturday, along with last year’s WA Guineas winner Perfect Jewel.
Grant had more than 1250 winners in harness racing as a trainer and driver combined, before making the switch the thoroughbred racing.
Grant’s connection to Harness racing was still evident last Wednesday when he was able to train Trump This to victory at Northam, where prominent Harness trainer Greg Bond is a notable owner.
He can still be seen at Gloucester Park helping his father out on Friday night’s outside of thoroughbred carnival time, while Ray is also a regular fixture at Ascot or Belmont on a Saturday afternoon.
“We are both each other’s number one supporter,” Grant said.
“I don’t get out to Gloucester Park as much as I’d like to at this time of year because I like to keep a low profile during the carnival.
“He’s always there at the races on a Saturday.
“If he can’t be at the races, he has got them on the TV at home.
“He lives through it like we do.
“We are an emotional kind of family and I saw the old man after the Railway and he had tears in his eyes.
“He’s regularly on the phone to me during the week, but he tries not to interfere with what we do.”
Ray, who returns from an overseas holiday tomorrow in time for the Mares Classic, has cut back the number of runners in his stable.
Grant paid tribute to his father’s effort to get one of his pacers into a feature Group 1.
“He’s doing what he loves, so it’s good for him to have a runner in a Group 1,” he said.
“He’s cutting down his stable now, so he only has four or five in work at a time.
“We have a good crew of owners that have followed me from the trots to the gallops and they have supported dad as well.”
The barrier draw was kind to Ray and Millview Sienna for the Mares Classic, where she has come up with on the inside of the second row in barrier 10.
Aldo Cortopassi has the drive of Millview Sienna, who is rated a $34 chance with TABtouch, a market headed up by classy mare Eden Franco.
After Friday night, the Williams’ attention will quickly turn to Ascot on Saturday to see if Grant can record his second Group 1 success of the TABtouch Masters.
Grant said he was surprised at just how little his nerves had eased for the Kingston Town Classic, despite the two feature race wins a fortnight ago.
“I’m excited, but anxious,” he said.
“After the Railway, we did enjoy it.
“We enjoyed the first few days and then it was back to business.
“We didn’t have a very good carnival last year, even though we did win the Guineas.
“All I can think about at the moment is Saturday and doing everything we can to get the win.”
Arcadia Queen is a dominant $2.35 favourite with TABtouch to take out Saturday’s Kingston Town Classic, while Galaxy Star is on the second line at $4.80.
Grant and Alana’s other runner in the Kingston Town Classic, Perfect Jewel, is an $18 chance.
Come Saturday evening, there could be a cause for a big celebration in the Williams household.
Tim Walker