I am a big fan of Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast. As an early morning worker, it is my favourite radio show as dawn approaches.

And Sunday hosts Ray Thomas and Jimmy Smith pulled off a coup on the 19th November edition when they coaxed leviathan owner, Lloyd Williams, onto the show following his 6th Melbourne Cup win and Zipping Classic quinella.

Williams was being questioned about the transition from departing trainer Robert Hickmott to new head-trainer Liam Howley at his Macedon Lodge training facilities when Ray Thomas asked –

‘Lloyd it is interesting ‘cause people like Chris Waller, and other leading trainers, talk about systems and how they got the systems in place, whereby they can, for instance, like Chris obviously spent a fair bit of time in Melbourne this spring, but the systems he’s got in place allows his team to operate out of Rosehill. Would Liam, obviously be(ing)aware of your system, does that help in the transfer across from Robert leaving to Liam taking over?

Williams, perhaps buoyed by his recent success or lulled by Ray Thomas’ Guthrie Featherstone-like cross examinationreplied, “Oh well… you’re talking to the head trainer here. You know there is always a lot of controversy about who trains the horses.”

And then, “The blue-print emanates right here, I’m chairman and chief executive, I decide how the horses will work and how we will feed them and all those sorts of things and I have people up there who execute it, that is what happens.”

Williams had made a direct statement that he was the trainer of the horses at Macedon Lodge and, using Thomas’ Waller analogy of systems set by a trainer, appeared to admit that he set in place the type of systems that a trainer would set.

Thomas has Williams on the ropes but it was left to the racing novice but more assertive Smith to go in for the kill –

"Why is it Lloyd that we don't see your name in the race guide then?"

Williams for the first time a little tersely, "I don't want to be the trainer do I.”

Thomas, as ever to the safety of a guest, “He’s happy to be the owner.”

But Williams piqued by the temerity of Smith’s question continued to put him in his place, “You obviously haven’t been around for too long Jimmy, that sort of argument was around about 20 years ago,”

Williams obviously thought he was on safe ground in putting Smith in his place and calling him out for his lack of racing background. But not surprisingly, Williams’ statements caught the attention of far more seasoned racing figures.

That and the subsequent media attention drew the interest of Racing Victoria and they announced an investigation into Williams’ assertion that he was head trainer when he held no such licence.

Racing Victoria Chief Executive Giles Thompson stated Racing Victoria’s position on Racing.com’s After the Last – 

"We were surprised by his comments yesterday suggesting he is the head trainer," 

"He is not registered as a trainer.

"We had previously had conversations with Lloyd and visited his facilities to understand the relationship of the trainers on site there and his relationship with them and certainly in the past we'd been satisfied that it was more an executive chairman type relationship rather than a head trainer type role.

"Based on his comments in recent days though, I think it is appropriate that we explore that again.

"I have asked the integrity team to reach out to Lloyd and try to establish what the relationships are and what the roles are up at the facilities now.

"It is important in the short term that we understand what the structures are at Macedon Lodge and how it operates."

Williams, obviously aware of the stir caused by his comments, replied to Racing.com the next day setting out his stable’s management structure by text. It was somewhat different to the answer Williams had given on the Big Sports Breakfast –

"At Macedon Lodge all employees are direct employees of the company," Williams wrote. "That includes trainer and assistant trainer, vet, etc...

"Therefore the structure has senior management (trainer, assistant trainer, etc...) reporting to Executive Chairman/CEO.

"A very simple commercial structure.

"Nothing different than what has been in place since year 2000 - 17 years.

"Macedon Lodge 100 % owned Williams Company.

"Final decision making ultimately in the hands of the executive Chairman."

Four days later Racing Victoria simply stated: “RV Stewards remain comfortably satisfied that Mr Williams is continuing to operate in the role of an Executive Chairman of Hudson Conway Racing and that Mr Howley, as general trainer, will be responsible for the day-to-day management of all horses in training at Macedon Lodge - Hudson Conway Racing's private training property."

The Macedon Lodge structure is no doubt a well organised and successful company run structure. Its success and integrity compliance seem second to none. But this whole episode leaves plenty of questions unanswered.

For me these questions are –

1. If Williams doesn’t see himself as the head trainer, why did he so emphatically state it?

2. If there ever is an integrity problem, is the executive chairman liable for penalty under the rules of racing?

3. Is it good enough for Racing Victoria to simply state they are happy with the training arrangements without further explanation? 

In relation to question 2, there is some precedent with the Godolphin strangles case in Sydney where Godolphin’s Australian Managing Director, Henry Plumptre, was fined over Godolphin not reporting a strangles outbreak in their stables. 

But would this precedent filter down to a positive drug result for a company’s horse? Is a suspension or disqualification possible for a managing director in such circumstances especially one who has set the feeding, working and other programs for a horse’s preparation?