Disqualified racehorse trainer Darren Weir faces court on corruption, cruelty to horses charges
Top horses Red Cardinal, Yogi and Tosen Basil among those abused at Darren Weir stables, court told.
Thoroughbred racehorse Red Cardinal was “tortured” with a jigger by trainer Darren Weir a week before running in last year’s Melbourne Cup, court documents allege.
Red Cardinal and two other racehorses, the New Zealand bay gelding Yogi, and late Japanese runner Tosen Basil were allegedly “tortured” with a conducted energy device, also known as a jigger, while blinkered and running on a treadmill, according to charge sheets against champion trainer Darren Weir.
It’s alleged Weir “engaged in the torturing, abusing, overworking and terrifying” of the horses.
The alleged cruelty offences were alleged to have taken place on October 30, one week before the 2018 Cup was run.
Weir also faces additional animal cruelty charges relate to using jiggers on the horses while they were running on a treadmill wearing blinkers “with the result of causing unreasonable pain or suffering”.
Fellow trainer Jarrod McLean and stablehand Tyson Kermond, who worked with Weir, are charged with identical animal cruelty offences and as well as conspiring with Weir to cheat and defraud the Racing Victoria stewards.
It’s alleged McLean engaged in conduct to corrupt betting outcomes by engaging in “an illicit training regime” with the three horses.
The regime is alleged to have consisted of psychological conditioning of the horses through the use of jiggers, blinkers, poly pipe and whistling while training on a treadmill to affect the horses’ performance.
The corrupt betting charges relating to McLean involve a $100 multi bet on Yogi and two other horses at odds of $25.70 last November, a $60 quinella bet and a $100 each way bet on Yogi at odds of $12 and $3.40.
McLean also allegedly placed $100 each way bets on Red Cardinal the day of last year’s Melbourne Cup at odds of $41 and $11.
A fourth man, William Hernan is charged with corrupt betting on Yogi using information provided by McLean.
Tosen Basil, was euthanised last year after a paddock accident.
Since February Yogi has been trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and has eight wins from 34 starts.
Maher and Eustace took over the operation of Weir’s stables after a police raids on his operation and the suspension of his training licence.
Yogi arrived in Australia having had five starts without winning.
Syndicated by Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock and sent to Darren Weir to be trained, Yogi won at his first start in a race for maidens at Benalla. He would race 23 times for Weir, winning seven races. His biggest victories were in the Sandown and Port Adelaide Cups.
Darren Dance, founder of Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock with his wife Liz – who syndicated Yogi, found the details “distressing”.
“Yogi has a big cult following around Australia and we at the company and the part-owners love Yogi. For our horse to be subject to these matters we find it distressing,” Dance said.
Red Cardinal only had six starts for Darren Weir, bought by Australian Bloodstock for the purpose of contesting the Melbourne Cup.
He won Group 3 races in England and the US before finishing 11th in the 2017 Cup under the care of German trainer Andreas Wohler.
Nine-months elapsed before Red Cardinal had his first start in Weir’s name.
His best effort in the campaign for Weir was third in the St Leger Stakes in Sydney.
Red Cardinal finished last in the 2018 Melbourne Cup and came fourth in the Geelong Cup on Wednesday. New trainer Kris Lees said he couldn’t be happier with how the horse was performing.
“He’s a happy horse,” Lees said.
Tosen Basil was bought by a group of owners from Japan to contest spring feature races. After finishing 11th of 12 in the 2018 Makybe Diva Stakes at his Australian debut, he was beaten a short head when a $71 outsider in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield. His two subsequent runs were lacklustre and the horse was spelled. Last December, Tosen Basil sustained injuries to both fetlocks in a paddock accident and was euthanised.
The four men appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court this morning for a filing hearing after being charged earlier this month with a combined 34 charges.
Magistrate Duncan Reynolds set the matter down for a committal mention in February and the men’s lawyer flagged an application to have the case moved to Warrnambool in south western Victoria.
Weir’s greatest triumph is training was the 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance, ridden by Michelle Payne.
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