Racing Victoria has once again condemned the conduct of disgraced trainer Darren Weir following the release of footage showing the Melbourne Cup-winning horseman using a “jigger” on three of his horses.
The state’s principal racing authority was responding on Friday after media outlets the Herald Sun and The Age, successfully sought to be able to publish vision of Weir, Jarrod McLean and Tyson Kermond using a jigger on Red Cardinal, Tosen Basil and Yogi.
The vision showed Weir using an electrical apparatus on the trio at his Warrnambool stables on October 30, 2018, during the heart of the Melbourne Cup carnival.
That footage, which depicts Weir “jiggering” the horses on a total of 25 occasions while the stayers wore blinkers, prompted Racing Victoria stewards to take further disciplinary action against him.
Weir subsequently pleaded guilty to seven separate charges relating to the use of “jiggers”, animal cruelty and improper and dishonourable conduct.
The Victorian Racing Tribunal disqualified Weir for a two-year period, which expires next September.
Part of the video released by the Victorian Racing Tribunal. (Source: Nine)
Racing Victoria responded to the Victorian Racing Tribunal ruling to release the vision on Friday.
“We strongly condemn the conduct depicted in this 2018 vision, as do the thousands of hardworking individuals in our industry who provide amazing care to their horses day in, day out,” RV said in a statement.
“This is why the stewards issued serious charges against Darren Weir and his associates for their conduct, which ultimately saw them face disciplinary action.
“The independent Victorian Racing Tribunal disqualified the three individuals in this video for their actions. Darren Weir remains disqualified until September 2026.”
Weir also served a four-year ban imposed by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board in February 2019 for three charges of possessing jiggers and one count of conduct prejudicial to the image of racing.
Bren O’Brien
Separately, Weir and McLean were also fined $36,000 after pleading guilty to animal abuse charges brought against them in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court in 2022.
Kermond was ordered to pay $10,000 to the RSPCA by the Magistrate. They avoided criminal convictions after pleading guilty to lesser animal abuse charges.
It was that covert vision obtained at Weir’s Warrnambool stables which prosecutors relied upon in the court case against the champion trainer, his former assistant McLean and stablehand Kermond.
When Weir’s disqualification expires, the Racing Victoria board will have to determine if the former trainer is a fit and proper person to be relicensed under its suitability policy.
It’s believed that opinions are split on the RV board - as they are in the general public - about whether Weir should be able to train again if he applies to the governing body once he’s served his latest penalty.
Bren O’Brien
VRT chairman Peter Reardon ruled in favour of the newspapers to be able to publish the damning footage.
He found that the footage should be made available for public scrutiny.
“The accessibility for the public through the media to view the footage would assist the public to fully understand and see for themselves what actions were taken by the respondents for the use of jiggers, as they were called, upon the horses,” Reardon said in his judgement.
Weir, who had been operating a pre-training business at his property at Maldon in Central Victoria since 2023, failed in his attempt in June to appeal the terms of his current disqualification after taking his case to the Supreme Court.
He was forced to close his pre-training business, which was supported by some of Australia’s biggest owners and premier trainers, because of the disqualification.
One of the horses seen being “jiggered” in the video was Red Cardinal, who ran second last in the 2018 Melbourne Cup, a week after the illegal practice was used against him by Weir.
Warwick Barr
