‘It’s hard seeing the horses leave’: Weir’s daughters say banned trainer deserves another go

As Darren Weir’s daughters oversee the removal of more than 100 racehorses from the Melbourne Cup-winning trainer’s central Victorian property under the terms of his ban from racing, they say their father is being shut out of the industry for longer than he deserves.

Trucks have been rolling in and out of Weir’s Trevenson Park property near Maldon since Monday, when Weir, 54, was handed a two-year disqualification for the use of a jigger – an electronic shock device – on three horses in 2018.

He was banned for four years in February 2019 for possessing jiggers, charges stemming from the same period.

Darren Weir’s daughters, Taige (left) and Bonnie, have been removing horses from his property.Credit: Jason South

In the past 18 months, Weir and his daughters have earned a living by running a pre-training and spelling operation at Trevenson Park, as allowed within the rules of racing.

While Weir owns the property, his daughters – Taige and Bonnie Weir – have overseen the day-to-day pre-training operations there.

The Weirs have been pre-training for a variety of trainers and owners, including industry heavyweights such as Chris Waller and Gerry Ryan.

At his peak, Weir ran one of the biggest training businesses in the country, and famously trained 100-1 shot Prince of Penzance to victory in the 2015 Melbourne Cup with Michelle Payne on board.

The Weir sisters are now co-ordinating the removal of all racehorses from Trevenson Park before next week.

They will also have to let go of 40 staff before next Monday, the day their father’s disqualification starts. He is no longer allowed to make money directly or indirectly from racing.

“It’s hard seeing all the horses leave. It’s a horrible feeling,” Taige said.

The women say their father not only regrets what he has done but has learnt from his mistakes and will not reoffend.

“He’d probably live in regret for the rest of his life for what he’s done, but everyone makes mistakes,” Bonnie, 20, said on Wednesday.

Horses are removed from Darren Weir’s property on Wednesday ahead of his two-year ban.Credit: Jason South

“I think the time he has served, and he’s done it hard, you know, but he’s worked through it, and he’s become a better person. I think he deserves to have his go in racing again.”

It will be 7½ years from the time Weir was first disqualified until he is allowed to apply for a trainer’s licence again – on the eve of the 2026 spring carnival – even though his bans total six years.

The Victorian Racing Tribunal ruled on Monday that Weir’s latest disqualification, two years, would not be backdated to February 2023 – the finish date of his last ban – because the past 18 months “cannot be seen as a period of penalty”.

Delivering the two-year ban in July, tribunal judge John Bowman condemned Weir’s actions.

“The bottom line is he was the person in charge of the horse, the stables and the situation, he was the boss, he was the hands-on person who actually committed these serious offences,” Bowman said at the time.

“He was in charge of, and was the administrator of, a procedure that is abhorrent and deserving of condemnation.”

Weir’s daughters believe the two-year ban should have been backdated, and their father should be left with just six months to serve.

“I just don’t know why they didn’t say, ‘Maybe stop that there’ [the pre-training operation back in February 2023],” said Taige, 25.

“What I don’t like about it is that they’ve let him have a taste of horses again, and then they’ve taken it all away.”

With the business shutting down, Taige said she would be heading overseas for six weeks with her partner and then planned to set up her own pre-training business on return. She can’t use her father’s property. Bonnie was unsure of her next step.

They hope their father will return to racing in two years.

“This might be a biased opinion, but I have people come up to me all the time and say, ‘It’s not the same without him in racing,’” Taige said.

“They want to see Dad or Dad’s horses, you know, so I just think the industry is missing out on a lot, to be honest – a good person, a hard worker and a person who has his horses fit and healthy and that are thriving ... he’s just got such a knack for it.

“And I don’t know whether I’m holding on to something or whether he actually will, but I just think he’s still got lots left to give.”

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