Horse trainer Darren Weir banned until 2026 spring carnival

Darren Weir has been given seven days to remove all horses from his pre-training property after he was banned from racing until the eve of the 2026 spring carnival.

The Victorian Racing Tribunal announced on Monday that Weir’s latest disqualification, two years for using an electronic shock device on his horses, would begin from next Monday.

Darren Weir has been banned from training horses for another two years.Credit: Jason South

The three-person panel of judges John Bowman and Kathryn Kings, and former chairman of stewards Des Gleeson ruled that the penalty would not be backdated.

Weir has already served a four-year disqualification for the possession of three electronic shock devices, known as jiggers, which finished in February 2023.

By the time his latest ban is served, the 2015 Melbourne Cup winner will not have trained a horse for 7½ years.

The tribunal has given Weir seven days – until next Monday – to shut down his pre-training facilities at Trevenson Park, near Maldon.

Until last month, he was working more than 100 horses and employing more than 30 people as part of a substantial spelling and pre-training operation.

He was able to do so because a licence is not required to pre-train horses as long as they are returned to a licensed trainer’s stables 28 days before they race.

But as a disqualified person, he will now be banned from attending racetracks or making direct or indirect financial gain from the racing industry, including having thoroughbred horses on his property for breeding purposes or leasing the facility out to another trainer.

The tribunal hit Weir with a two-year disqualification in July for each of the three applications of a jigger, but ruled that the penalties were to be served concurrently.

Darren Weir at the height of his career with jockey Michelle Payne after Prince Of Penzance won the 2015 Melbourne Cup.Credit: Justin McManus

The charges were issued in September last year, stemming from the use of a jigger on racehorses Tosen Basil, Red Cardinal and Yogi at his Warrnambool stables days before the 2018 Melbourne Cup.

Since he finished his four-year disqualification in February 2023, Weir has not reapplied to Racing Victoria stewards for a trainer’s licence. For this reason, Ian Hill, KC, representing Weir, asked the tribunal to backdate his client’s latest disqualification to February 2023, meaning he would only serve another six months.

Bowman said an overall penalty needed to be “just and appropriate”. The tribunal considered that Weir would not have been able to run a pre-training and spelling operation at his property while disqualified.

“He has not applied for a trainer’s licence, but he has been able to carry on a large enterprise relating to thoroughbred horses,” Bowman said.

“This has been with the knowledge of the stewards, and it is not suggested in any way that it was in breach of the rules.

“At the same token, the period from the end of his disqualification on February 7, 2023, to date cannot be seen as a period of penalty.”

Weir was a central figure in one of Australian turf’s most famous victories, combining with jockey Michelle Payne to win the 2015 Melbourne Cup with Prince Of Penzance, who had started at $101. Payne was the first female jockey to win Australia’s most famous race.

Weir employees Jarrod McLean and Tyson Kermond had their penalties halved on review by the tribunal – McLean from 18 months to nine months, Kermond from six months to three months.

The starting date of their bans is yet to be determined. The tribunal will hear further submissions next Tuesday.

Weir has been contacted for comment.

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