Your web browser is no longer supported. Hello Epsom Day! Weir did not contest the charges against him at a hearing before Judge John Bowman, the chairman of Racing Victoria’s Disciplinary Board, and was banned both for the possession of four “jiggers” which were found in his bedroom, and for behaviour prejudicial to the image of racing. He strained to get to as many of these nights as possible, trying to give a little bit back from all the graces he received. He also says that, not that long ago, jiggers were an accepted part of horse training. Racing Victoria chief executive Giles Thompson hasn’t seen the footage but he wants people to know the entire racing industry is appalled by what is alleged. Darren Weir with the 2015 Melbourne Cup (AAP/Julian Smith). Weir said this on a cold Thursday night at a local footy club in Horsham.

Behind the doors of Darren Weir’s stables, we are offered a glimpse. 13 February, 2019 ON, (Click here to view the list of Weir's former horses and the new homes they have found. https://www.theroar.com.au/2019/02/07/will-there-be-a-way-back-for-darren-weir The feeling in many rural areas over the past week hasn’t been seething anger or outrage at Weir. W hen word spread last week that Darren Weir’s stables had been raided by police, it came of little surprise to most inside in the racing industry. He likened the Weir scandal to a speeding driver crashing his car. “It is not great timing but the result of us working tirelessly to ensure there is a level playing field for everyone involved in the sport.”. Darren Weir, right, at Racing Victoria’s headquarters at Flemington on Wednesday. Considering recommendations from Racing Victoria stewards and acknowledging Weir’s position of influence in the industry, a four-year disqualification was handed down.

Pages; Recent; Backawinna. “RSPCA is opposed absolutely to the use of jiggers,’’ she says. Lawyers for the men applied to have the case dealt with in Ballarat because it was the closest court to where the most serious offending allegedly took place there and Weir's home. Again and again, Kermond applies the jigger.

Horses will run in blinkers and run with their tongues tied. In a show of support, many of those staff have stood by the trainer over the last week even though they stood to lose their livelihood with him. Watch the brand new comedy series Code 404 now on Stan. Click here to view the list of Weir's former horses and the new homes they have found. The horse is frightened and distressed. Hidden within the stable, unbeknown to Weir and his associates, a police camera captures the disturbing scene. He was asked once what he would do if he wasn’t training horses.
Become a member to join in Australia's biggest sporting debate, submit articles, receive updates straight to your inbox and keep up with your favourite teams and authors. Swooping magpie smashes into jockey, fails to stop race win, Spring racing selections: The Everest and Caulfield Cup day tips for Saturday, 17 October, Spring racing selections: Randwick and Caulfield tips for Saturday, 10 October, The history of the Caulfield Guineas and Spring Champion day, Spring racing selections: Randwick and Flemington tips for Saturday, 3 October. To improve your experience. Today at Caulfield, the spring carnival bursts into full bloom with the running of the Guineas and another three group one races. It may be that people in the industry say that is not how they are usually used but the point is, they inflict pain on animals.”. Giles Thompson says that trainers, in private conversation with him over the past few days, strongly condemned what Weir is alleged to have done. His reply was that he wasn’t sure, all he knew was horses and he’d “probably be stacking shelves at Safeway”. People would ask him to train their horses – fast and slow – and he rarely said no. “It is sad it has come to this,” Bowman said. It wasn’t uncommon for him to train city winners in multiple states on a Saturday afternoon, while always sneaking winners at bush tracks like Donald or Warracknabeal. It is about the extraordinary story we are now seeing in the media, Ride Like a Girl, about Michelle Payne and her extraordinary upbringing and achievement.”, Racing Victoria CEO Giles Thompson.Credit:AAP. It can be argued that he grew too fast and lost sight of why he started out with horses in the first place. “I’m sure it is still going on but not to the levels that it was say five years ago or 10 years ago.”. Below we list, in order of trainer name, where Weir's horses have gone with their flat handicap rating, record and prizemoney accrued as of February 1, 2019. While Weir did not contest the charges, Patrick Wheelahan, his legal representative, told the hearing that the case had been dealt with rapidly at the trainer’s request, as a drawn-out disciplinary process would have caused further damage to the image of racing. © 2020 Racing Victoria Limited (RV) and other parties working with it. We want to see it! Weir, together with fellow trainer Jarrod McLean and stable hand William Hernan, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court today. Weir knows he’s let many people down, not least his 150-strong stable staff. But it was too much for one stable. Call Gambling Help on 1800 858 858 or visit, Sign up to punters and receive a free copy of. He does not believe Weir is a horse abuser. His rise was fast and, seemingly, unsustainable. The training combination of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have received the most horses with 29 but that number is expected to swell as Ciaron Maher Racing purchased Weir's Ballarat stables, which have a 150-horse capacity. Anyone can contribute to The Roar and have their work Making a Greyhounds Blacklist - Towards a better racing industry . “He’s instructed us from the start that he didn’t want to waste any more time as far as Racing Victoria’s concerned and he’s very, very sad about it,” Wheelahan said. Darren Weir at his stables (Image: darrenweirracing.com) Where Weir's horses have gone. Anyone who sees it is unlikely to look at racing the same way again. The men face a combined 34 charges, ranging from corrupt betting to conspiring to deceive stewards and animal torture involving 2018 Cup runner Red Cardinal, as well as Cup hopefuls Yogi and Tosen Basil. Group 1 racing is in Sydney and Melbourne. Behind the closed doors, Weir’s Cup runner, a horse named Red Cardinal, is trotting on a treadmill under the watchful eye of Weir, his stable foreman Jarrod McLean and stablehand Tyson Kermond. "Who knows how long it's been going on for?". Every horse in his care that progressed from the lower reaches to Group-race success offered an incentive to owners in other stables to try their luck with Weir, arguably without probing too deeply into his methods.

But his rapid departure from the sport did not stop questions being asked about the extent of the corruption involved, and the lightning justice dispensed to Weir also seems unlikely to be the end of the scandal. So, by late morning, February 6, 2019, Berriwillock’s infamous hero cast a forlorn figure. Weir will be allowed to enter training facilities for the next 10 days but only to oversee the transfer and dispersal of his string rather than train or condition the horses in any way. Stay in control. Carl Di Iorio @CDi_Iorio. In no way should his possession of jiggers be condoned or defended – horse welfare is a non-negotiable. Anthony Mithen, the stud principal at Rosemont Stud, offers a more nuanced response. Thompson argues that, for all the damage wrought by the Weir scandal, the events of this week should give people more trust, rather than less, in the integrity of the sport. Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Darren Weir and others accused of torturing horses and corrupt betting have won a bid to move their case to regional Victoria. All that we can do as an industry is demonstrate we are doing everything we can to catch and weed out those who are not just denying the other participants a level playing field, but those who would damage the reputation of the industry.”.
First published on Wed 6 Feb 2019 00.41 GMT. He writes about crime, sport and national affairs, with a particular focus on Melbourne. At its simplest, this is how this scandal is best understood. He stayed late into the night until everyone got the photo they wanted and talked his ear off about god knows what. All four are expected to face court for a two-day committal hearing in June to test the evidence against the group and whether it should go to trial. Red Cardinal's trainer, Darren Weir (right), in the 2018 Melbourne Cup parade.Credit:Getty Images. “We in the industry are also disgusted by this.”, This is clearly the view of six-time Melbourne Cup winner Lloyd Williams, who says: “I have only one word for you: disgraceful.”. Where is Darren Weir now? If the men are concerned, they don’t show it. Perhaps a remorseful Weir can draw on this. One that fully understood the far-reaching scope of his behaviour, one of remorse. This old darling is right up there with my favourite race days of the year, bettered only by the Slipper and Doncaster monsters in autumn. It is also a form of cheating. If a horse receives a shock shortly after a stroke of the whip during training, it will then expect the pain of a shock when the whip is used in a race and quicken in response. Until a week ago, you could be described as a leviathan trainer – with hundreds of horses, owners that number in the thousands [and] with a staff of 150. One of Australia’s most successful trainers, a man who since the turn of the century has won 3542 races and amassed $146 million in prize money for his owners, a celebrated racing figure responsible for the welfare of 600 horses at three stables scattered across country Victoria, was allegedly willing to torment a horse in his care to cheat the Melbourne Cup. Betfair ....why has it failed in Australia? “People within the industry are waiting and seeing what went on, what is the mistake he made and what his motivation was. “Mr Weir will not be permitted to participate in the racing industry in any way over the four-year period,” Jamie Stier, Racing Victoria’s executive general manager of integrity, said on Wednesday, “including, but not limited to his participation in the training of horses, attending race meetings and licensed premises and deriving any benefit from the industry. Jockey Georgina Cartwright rode ‘Royal Hale’ to victory at Doomben despite being swooped by a magpie. “You are a 48-year-old man who has completed a rags-to-riches rise in the racing world. The bulldogs know how to find a player that will fit straight in. The whips keep cracking this week. Mark Zahra & Kerrin McEvoy's' earnings for the day, 9 placings with 4 winners so far looking the goods!more tips on m wall. https://www.theroar.com.au/2019/02/07/will-there-be-a-way-back-for- The Racing and Disciplinary Board’s decision on Darren Weir’s case has brought to an end a tumultuous week for Australian racing. It would cut him to the core to have those charges laid against him.”. Weir had 615 registered horses in his care on January 30, the day his stables at Ballarat and Warrnambool were raided by Victoria Police and Racing Victoria stewards. Racing Hall of Fame trainer David Hayes told racing and sports radio station RSN the charges were confronting but the industry needed to move on. Before handing down the four-year ban, Bowman detailed Weir’s rise from Australia’s “bush” racing circuit to the pinnacle of the sport. “It’s a demonstration that our integrity department will go after wrongdoing no matter how big the name,’’ he says. He grew up in the small Mallee town of Berriwillock, spending his teenage weekends breaking in horses while many of his mates traded horses for horsepower. Darren Weir scandal opens doors on racing's dark secret. Horses will be cajoled to run faster by means which, depending on your view, are acceptable or cruel. All of this makes your fall even sadder. Will this be enough time to erase the memory of what he’s done? “Darren was clearly stuck in another era. It has also exposed the dark underbelly of the sport. Winx when Damon look to the left look to the writing kick Bart. Thompson understands people will now question whether Michelle Payne’s fairytale Cup ride four years ago on the Weir-trained Prince of Penzance was too good to be true.