Darren Weir banned for four years following jiggers inquiry

Darren Weir’s stunning rags-to-riches training career has officially been brought to a halt after he was disqualified for four years after not contesting charges relating to the discovery of three electrical apparatus, or jiggers, at his Ballarat premises last week.

The four-year disqualification was the penalty called for by Racing Victoria stewards following an 11-hour hearing on Monday, and Weir decided not to challenge the initial decision – his ban starts immediately.

The Melbourne Cup-winning trainer, 48, appeared in front of the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary (RAD) Board on Wednesday, when the three-person panel was told the jiggers were found in the master bedroom of Weir’s home.

Weir, who has won 36 Group 1s, faced six charges, including three of possessing the jiggers and one of conduct prejudicial to the image of racing, which were ‘proven’ at the RAD Board hearing.

What is a jigger?

A 'jigger' is the local name for an electronic device, usually used with a whip, and is designed to deliver an electronic shock to the horse in a bid to produce a better performance on the track.

Weir’s Ballarat and Warrnambool stables were raided on January 30 by stewards and officers from Victoria Police’s sports integrity unit, with the latter’s investigation ongoing.

Weir, his assistant trainer Jarrod McLean and stable foreperson Tyson Kermond were arrested by police that day but later released without charge.

McLean, who is fighting a charge of having an electrical apparatus in his possession, also faced a Racing Victoria stewards show cause hearing on Monday, with the Warrnambool-based trainer allowed to continue to run his Stealth Lodge stable under stringent conditions.

Prince Of Penzance: Weir's Melbourne Cup winner in 2015Credit: Robert Cianflone

RAD Board chairman John Bowman warned Weir he could face police charges in relation to last week’s raids when handing down the penalty.

"Until a week ago you could be described as a leviathan trainer with hundreds of horses, owners that number in the thousands, with a staff of 150," said Bowman.

"You rose from the depths of the Mallee [region] to become Australia’s leading trainer. All of this makes your fall even sadder."

Jeff Gleeson QC, acting for RV stewards, said a financial penalty in place of a disqualification was not appropriate.

"The four-year disqualification is appropriate if the board takes into context how much the racing industry has been tarnished in the past week," said Gleeson.

Weir's counsel Patrick Wheelahan said the trainer did not agree with RV's submissions but wanted a quick end to the inquiry.

"He instructed his lawyer to get the matter finalised as soon as possible," said Wheelahan.

"He's seen other matters drag on costing millions of dollars to the industry.

"In the best interests of racing he wants an early resolution so racing can move on."

Weir appeared emotional but silent throughout the hearing and did not address the meeting when exiting the building.

He has ten business days to transfer horses previously under his care, which numbered up to 650 before the raids.

At the start of the hearing Bowman and deputy chairman Joshua Bornstein both declared they had previously part-owned horses trained by Weir.

It took the panel of three judges less than 45 minutes to find the charges levelled against Weir were sustained, before taking another two and a half hours to consider submissions on penalty.

The three-person RAD Board panel initially could not reach agreement on penalty, with Bornstein seeking a five-year disqualification and Bowman and Brian Forrest voting for a four-year penalty.

The dramatic fall from grace for Weir led his business manager Mick Leonard on Tuesday to take over the running of the Forest Lodge stables at Ballarat on an interim basis.

Leonard’s licence to train at Forest Lodge is for only 28 days. A permanent replacement is expected to be announced in the near future.

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