COMMENT: As Darren Weir slipped the legal net set by Racing Victoria stewards regarding allegations of corrupting some of Australia’s biggest races, there was an abiding sense that the momentum had shifted for Berriwillock's most famous and infamous export.
For a man used to winning a lot, Weir had been on a losing streak of his own making. Firstly, he was banned for four years following the stable raids in 2019 which brought his racing kingdom tumbling down.
He then went through a much-publicised court case, where he was fined $36,000 over animal abuse charges after footage showed him using ‘jiggers’ on several horses. That a conviction wasn’t recorded was only small consolation as his reputation, rightly, was in tatters.
In light of that court case, and the video evidence produced, Racing Victoria stewards came calling again, with 10 more charges. Three were for use of the jigger, three for animal cruelty and one for improper and dishonourable conduct. Given the court case result, Weir had little option but to plead guilty to those charges.
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