Chief Stipe

Weir slapped with new two-year ban … but start date remains unresolved Disgraced trainer Darren Weir used jiggers on three racehorses in 2018. Picture: Michael Klein By Gilbert Gardiner 08:09am • 05 July 2024 Disgraced trainer Darren Weir has been hit with a further two-year disqualification for animal cruelty, the use of a jigger on three racehorses in 2018, and dishonest conduct. Despite first indicating Weir's new penalty would begin on Friday, the Victorian Racing Tribunal was forced to adjourn for further submissions to be made. Weir has operated a successful private pre-training business, Trevenson Park, for about 12 months. His clients include leading trainer Chris Waller and prominent owner Lloyd Williams A disqualified person, under racing rules, cannot have any involvement with horses. Tribunal chair Judge John Bowman set a "tentative orders" timeline for stewards and counsel acting for Weir and co-accused Jarrod McLean and Tyson Kermond to work toward. "In each case the date of disqualification is not yet determined and is to be determined on a date to be fixed," Judge Bowman said. "If required, and if the issue cannot be determined on the papers, a directions hearing will be set down on a date to be fixed, on or before August 16 so there is a definite finality date." • ‘The first couple of years were very tough': Weir's exile revealed Barrister Damian Sheales, acting for McLean and Kermond, sparked a discussion on when their respective 18-month and six-month disqualifications should start. Sheales said his clients' licences were suspended on October 2019, pending police involvement, thereby time served should be taken into account. "They were deprived of their licences from that time," Sheales said. Barrister Ian Hill KC echoed the sentiment, citing the fact that Weir's original four-year disqualification for possession of jiggers expired in February 2023. Since then, Weir has been unlicenced and – at the request of Racing Victoria stewards – has dutifully not attended metropolitan race meetings or yearling sales while otherwise permitted to do so. The tribunal last month heard that the 35 workers Weir employs at Trevenson Park would lose their jobs should he be disqualified and forced to shutter the business. Before the start date stalemate, the tribunal indicated it would support a seven-day stay of the disqualification to afford Weir an opportunity to make any business arrangements for Trevenson Park and potential relocation of racehorses currently on the property. Weir lives on the farm and would be free to continue to do so as a disqualified person. Hill later revisited the position on the start date for Weir's disqualification. • Weir ‘had an addiction to winning races': Waller "We can't exercise our rights now for example and appeal, and seek a stay elsewhere of this decision, because this decision has not really be finalised," Hill said. "Adjourn it to a date, as soon as possible, so this decision can be properly litigated." Barrister Angus Willoughby, acting for stewards, failed to block the Weir camp from being heard on when a net two-year disqualification should start, effective today or February 2023. "I'm not sure what arguments Mr Hill is going to advance, but he has requested he also be heard and I don't see why we should turn down that request," Judge Bowman said. "I don't see why we should exclude him if he has a point to make on behalf of his client." Judge Bowman, during the reading of the tribunal's "unanimous" decision, said minimum two-year disqualifications for each charge, to be served concurrently, should be adopted. "Mr Weir, a most experienced trainer of a huge number of horses, was not only the person in charge of the operation he was the person who actually committed the act of cruelty," Judge Bowman said. "He was the person in charge of the horse… he was the boss, he was the hands on person who actually committed these offences. "He was in charge of and the administration of a procedure that is abhorrent and deserved of condemnation." The three-person panel, including Judge Kathryn Kings and tribunal member Des Gleeson, took into account Weir's genuine remorse, plea of guilt and "a large number of most impressive character references". "We have never seen such a powerful collection," Judge Bowman said. A $36,000 fine for animal abuse, which Weir received from a Magistrates Court in December 2022 without a conviction recorded, also formed part of the tribunal's "just and appropriate" penalty. Weir in March pleaded guilty to using an electronic shock device, commonly referred to as a jigger or cattle prod, on racehorses Red Cardinal, Yogi and Tosen Basil in 2018. Stewards last September laid 10 new charges against Weir and former staff Jarrod McLean and Tyson Kermond for animal cruelty and corruption. The corruption charges were dismissed by the VRT in April. The jigger inquiry was revisited in December 2022 when closed-circuit TV footage of Weir using the apparatus was submitted and viewed as evidence in a Magistrates' Court. Judge Bowman on Friday scolded stewards for the "unfortunate and basically unacceptable" 10-month delay between the reactivated inquiry and new charges being laid. Read all news by Gilbert Gardiner

Some trainers do a good job of training their horses for other occupations rather than racing.

I'm not sure Fish has any pictures of WK.

Hi @Murray Fish I realise how this Topic digressed and it is a common issue on most forums. Do you mind if I shift the exhibition stuff to its own thread? WTF! Warren Kennedy...seems to have been lost.

I don't understand your comment. Do they move the gates across the race turf to change race starts for the AWT? If they do doesn't that defeat the purpose of another an AWT to lessen wear and tear on the turf in winter?

Have I read that right or is it another poorly constructed news release? If it's correct is it a fact that the gates for the AWT racing in winter have to be moved across the main turf track or are they talking about an inside training track? Does anyone know?

MEETING NEWS Awapuni Synthetic Programme Changes – 5 July/25 July Please note the following changes/additions to the two remaining 23/24 synthetic meetings at Awapuni. Friday July 5 – Both the Mdn 1000m and Mdn 1400m will now be for Maidens 2YO+. A Mdn 2140m has been added to this programme as an 8th race. Thursday July 25 – The Maiden 1700m has been deleted (limiting the gate moves across the grass). A R65 2140m has been added to this programme. Both the Mdn 1200m and Mdn 1400m races will now be for Maidens 2YO+

Would be enough for you to clear $5k a country meeting.

It's been happening for a few years now. Toward the end of the season they start balancing the books.

Abandonments.

The trouble is finding who IS responsible and/or willing to put their hand up!

Immediately after interference. To suggest that the placement of the lure was some reason for his attempt to leap the fence is as equally implausible. The dog was interferred with and his vision of the lure was impaired by those in front of him.

Not that a self valued intangible asset is really worth that much.

So he wasn't interferred with at all in the running?

Arguably paying 10% for a $2b asset was a good deal on Entain's part.

I starting reading the Entain accounts and my prior assumption seems correct regarding the valuation of the NZ intangible assets. It would appear that the main intangible asset is the exclusive 25 yr NZ License. From the report: Intangible assets Intangible assets acquired separately are capitalised at cost and those acquired as part of a business combination are capitalised separately from goodwill. The costs relating to internally generated intangible assets, principally software costs, are capitalised if the criteria for recognition as assets are met. Other expenditure is charged in the year in which the expenditure is incurred. Following initial recognition, intangible assets are carried at cost less any accumulated amortisation and any accumulated impairment losses. The useful lives of these intangible assets are assessed to be either finite or indefinite. Indefinite lived assets are not amortised and are subject to an annual impairment review from the year of acquisition. Where amortisation is charged on assets with finite lives, this expense is taken to the consolidated income statement through the ‘operating expenses, depreciation and amortisation’ line item. The useful lives applied to the Group’s intangible assets are as follows: Exclusive New Zealand licence 25–year duration of licence Other licences Lower of 15 years, or duration of licence Software – purchased & internally capitalised costs 2–15 years Trademarks & brand names 10–25 years, or indefinite life Customer relationships 3–15 years The useful lives of all intangible assets are reviewed at each financial period end. Impairment testing is performed annually for intangible assets which are not subject to systematic amortisation and where an indicator of impairment exists for all other intangible assets. An intangible asset is derecognised on disposal, with any gain or loss arising (calculated as the difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the item) included in the consolidated income statement in the year of disposal.

Seems he learnt from the mishap. You can add not being able to read a race to the list of things you can't do as well. In the January race the dog was interferred with just before he hit the fence.

I'm not anti-whip I just think there is a lot of BS written about their use and the rules that govern their use and rein use are unworkable. Those rules are of now use to driver or horse. As I said before you don't need to whip a well trained horse that tries as hard as it can. Not that many drivers or stewards for that matter would know when a horse was giving everything i.e. not cheating. Some on the Galloping side such as @Thomass come up with this stupid metric that one strike of the whip is worth x lengths which is utter crap. Whipping is generally all show.

Bollocks. Go back and have a look a few races. For example look at this race and the three placgetters. All the drivers are cracking their reins. If you are trying to scare them then surely showing the whip at them is enough. That said a well trained horse will know when its time to move. Hence the good ones coming on the bit when the action starts. Really? Gammalite and Lord Module wouldn't be allowed to race today. What was done to those two horses was inhumane.

So you're just eating popcorn rather than making a serious comment? I know that you can wake a horse up with a good crack of a rein than fiddling around with a whip.

@Gammalite you are disappointing me. I thought you had more skills. I take it you were a turn key driver?

What @Blackie you don't have the skill to give a horse in front of you cart a good wack with the reins? Need a whip to do it?

Too tired to use the reins?

Meanwhile @Newmarket sitting at the pub on his fifth pint and chips is worried about Warren sounding poorly after he has ridden a horse full noise over a dodgy track in the middle of winter... Oh the life of a punter!