Ian Williams is the son of the late William ‘Billy’ Williams, himself a trainer and former National Hunt jockey, and nowadays holds a dual-purpose licence at Dominion Racing Stables in Alvechurch, Worcestershire. Williams Jnr. learnt his trade under the tutelage of Jenny Pitman, Martin Pipe and Francois Doumen before setting up on his own, initially near Oxford, with just half a dozen horses, on his return to Britain.
Williams saddled his first winner, Alarico, ridden by Darryl Holland, in a maiden stakes at Lingfield on January 28, 1997. However, it was the creation of Dominion Racing Stables, under the auspices of successful businessman Patrick Kelly, who has been his landlord since 1998, that was the making of him as a trainer. Under National Hunt Rules, Williams enjoyed his most successful season, numerically, in 2002/03, when he saddled 51 winners and, fiscally, in 2018/19, when he amassed £506,416 in prize money. On the Flat, his most prolific and prosperous season came in 2025, when he saddled 79 winners and accumulated £1.33 million in total prize money.
Highlights of Williams’ career so far have included his first Grade 1 winner, Batman Senora, ridden by Cyrille Gambeau, in the Prix la Haye Jousselin at Auteil on November 9, 2003. He has since saddled two more on British soil, Brewster, ridden by David Dennis, in the Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown at Newbury on December 29, 2004 and Wayward Prince, ridden by Dougie Costello, in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on April 9, 2010.
On October 15, 2015, Williams achieved the remarkable feat of having saddled a winner at every racecourse in England, Scotland and Wales – including the defunct Folkestone Racecourse – courtesy of victory for Brasted, ridden by Tony Hamilton, in a claiming stakes race at Chelmsford.
His first and, so far, only Cheltenham Festival winner came in the form of Ballyalton, ridden by Brian Hughes, in the Close Brothers’ Novices’ Handicap Chase on March 15, 2016.
On November 29, 2016, Williams reached the landmark of 1,000 winners worldwide with Appy Days, ridden by Tom O’Brien, in a ‘bumper’ at Lingfield. On June 18, 2019, he saddled his first Royal Ascot winner, The Grand Visir, ridden by Richard Kingscote, in the Ascot Stakes.
