Disgraced champion trainer Darren Weir will be free to apply for his trainers’ licence in 2026 after receiving a two-year disqualification from the Victorian Racing Tribunal over the use of jiggers.
The 36-time Group 1-winning trainer pleaded guilty to seven animal cruelty charges at the Victorian Racing Tribunal in March but was subsequently cleared of three charges of attempting to corrupt the outcome of races.
Stewards had sought a 10-year ban for Weir over the use of a jigger on three horses, Red Cardinal, Tosen Basil and Yogi, in late 2018, while his own counsel has suggested he did not deserve any additional punishment having sat out of training since February 2019.
Judge Bowman delivered the penalties on Friday, adding another two years to Weir’s disqualification from February 2019 to February 2023. The date of application of that disqualification is to be determined at a future date, with some dispute over when that should happen.
He has already served a four-year ban for possessing and using ‘jiggers’ and engaging in conduct prejudicial to the image, interests, or welfare of racing.
It was also D-day for Weir’s two former employees, Jarrod McLean and Tyson Kermond.
Racing Victoria stewards sought a seven-year ban for the pair, but Bowman imposed an 18-month ban on McLean and six months on Kermond.
There was a disagreement when Damian Sheales, representing McLean and Kermond, argued that time served already should be considered. Hill, representing Weir, suggested he wanted to be heard on when Weir's disqualification should start.
Judge Bowman has said he will hear submission on those matters later. With that in mind, no final orders on the starting dates were made on at the hearing on Friday.
The trio also appeared before the Warrnambool Magistrates' Court in December 2022, pleading guilty to animal abuse charges over the matter. Weir and assistant trainer McLean were fined $36,000, while Kermond avoided a fine. No conviction was recorded.
It was the evidence produced at that trial which led the Racing Victoria issuing further charges.
Weir has been pre-training racehorses for some of Australia’s biggest stables since his initial disqualification was completed in February 2023.
Judge Bowman said that business would not be able to continue under the disqualification but Weir's counsel, Ian Hill KC, sought a stay in that aspect.
To get his trainers’ licence back in 2026, Weir must apply to the Racing Victoria licensing panel. The Racing Victoria board will consider his application, and the board has the discretion to refuse to relicense Weir.
If either of the trio wished to appeal their penalty, they would have to take the case to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, while an appeal against a point of law would be directed to the Supreme Court.
Emerging from the Mallee town of Berriwillock, Weir was one of Australia’s most successful trainers in the 2010s and set a new mark for the greatest number of Australian wins in a season when he had 492 wins in 2017/18, his final full season before his sudden suspension.
He won many of Australia's biggest races, including the 2015 Melbourne Cup with $101 outsider Prince Of Penzance, who was ridden by Michelle Payne. His runners collected nearly $150 million in prize money during his career.
Racing Victoria chairman Tim Eddy said Weir, McLean, and Kermond's actions threatened the thoroughbred industry's social licence, which was dependent on the reality and perception that racehorses are not mistreated and that races are decided on an even playing field without contraventions of the rules of racing.
“The actions of the individuals in this case not only severely damaged racing’s reputation but also tarnished the image of hard-working, rule-abiding individuals in our industry who devote their lives to the horses and act for the betterment of the sport," he said.
“Judge Bowman today described their conduct as abhorrent and deserving of condemnation. We wholeheartedly agree. There is absolutely no place for 'jiggers' in horse racing.
“Acts of cruelty on horses deserve widespread condemnation and perpetrators to be penalised. The community expects no less of racing. Yogi, Tosen Basil and Red Cardinal deserved no less.”
