It’s a big call considering he’s been involved with some top horses in his long horse training career.

But he has good reason.

He quit his right-hand man position with Sydney’s Tony McEvoy nearly two months ago for the sake of his family.

It was a risky move that has since paid off in more ways than one.

He arrived at the late Guy Walters stables in Goulburn with just one horse – a gelding named Shout to the Top.

“I thought if I was going to come back for one, I may as well put it out there that I was back training,” Williams told the Post.

“Now we’re up to our seventh week back and so far we’re up to 14 horses and I believe by the start of November we could have 20 horses.

“It’s been overwhelming.”

It’s remarkable how things have turned out for Williams.

He left his seven month stint with McEvoy, having helped train horses bound for the Golden Slipper and the Doncaster.

“I didn’t get enough time to see the family. It was too difficult,” he explained.

“I was coming back each weekend and because I started work at 3 or 4am, I had to leave very early on Monday mornings to start work.

“On weekends where there were no races, I’d only be able to spend a day, a day and a half here and that was just too draining on me.”

Slowly but surely word got out that Williams was back training. He had previously spent 15 years training privately out at Lynton on the outskirts of Goulburn and built a strong reputation as one of the best trainers in the state.

It was not long after his return that Shout to the Top ran out a winner in Goulburn and Wangaratta before she ran out unplaced at Randwick.

Williams is hoping she’ll run at Rosehill next Saturday as well as the upcoming Goulburn Cup in November.

“It was exciting dealing with horses in big races, but I am very much happier here,” Williams said.

“It’s easier going here. The city - it’s something you have to be use to, something you have to enjoy.”

He explains the training facilities established by Guy and Wendy Walters in the Goulburn stables are as good as anywhere else.

“They’re right up there as good as Sydney,” he said.

“And the track itself I think is not far behind it. I think we haven’t had the funding that the metropolitan tracks have, but for a country track it’s as good a track as what is in the country.”

He now plans to officially take over the stables from his late friend come the beginning of next month.

He believes he has an opportunity to change the image of country training.

“It’s all about location in the industry,” he said.

“If you’re not in the city, people tend to not want to give you those high class horses and it’s something that we’re working on to try and change.”

I hope I can be competitive in the metro areas and I want to do a lot more travelling around winning races particularly in the better class races if I can.

“With the stock that I have got, I’m sure I can achieve some of those goals in the time being.”