‘Excessive, out of proportion’: Disgraced trainer Darren Weir appeals ban

Disgraced trainer Darren Weir has claimed a two-year ban for the use of a jigger on three racehorses was ‘unreasonable and contrary to the interests of justice’ in a Supreme Court appeal against the penalty.

Banned trainer Darren Weir. Picture: Michael Klein

Disgraced trainer Darren Weir has claimed a two-year ban for the use of a jigger on three racehorses is ‘excessive and out of proportion’ in a Supreme Court appeal against the penalty.

The Melbourne Cup-winning former trainer was banned by the Victorian Racing Tribunal in September in a lengthy hearing that centred around CCTV footage taken at Weir’s stables a week before the 2018 Melbourne Cup.

The vision showed Weir using a jigger on racehorses Red Cardinal, Yogi and Tosen Basil as they exercised on a treadmill.

Court documents lodged this week by solicitor Katherine Brideoake, of Guthrie & Associates, claimed the two-year ban was “unreasonable and contrary to the interests of justice”.

• Weir forced to relocate horses from pre-training property as disqualification confirmed

The appeal papers claimed the Victorian Racing Tribunal had disregarded a “prohibition against impermissible double punishment” because it had not properly taken into account the common element between the new ban and his earlier four-year disqualification.

Until his new ban in September, Weir had been operating a pre-training facility at his Trevenson Park property in Central Victoria.

In December last year, he told Racenet that he had endured “a very tough couple of years” in the wake of the jigger scandal.

“Yes, it ate away at me a lot at the start, the first couple of years were very tough,” Weir, who saddled up Prince of Penzance in Michelle Payne’s famous 2015 Melbourne Cup victory, said.

“But hopefully it’s got to come to an end sometime soon. I don’t even think about the case now until I go to bed, and then turn the TV on and go to sleep and I don’t think about it.

“I used to watch the races a lot when this all started, especially the Saturdays and the big days. Now I’m just too busy.

“I ended up barring myself from watching during the week.”

Originally published as ‘Excessive, out of proportion’: Disgraced trainer Darren Weir appeals ban