Melbourne Cup-winning trainer arrested in 'corruption' scandal

Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Darren Weir has been arrested along with two others during a police raid of his Victorian stables where a gun and taser were seized.

Victoria Police and Racing Victoria raided stables at Miners Rest and Warrnambool from 6am on Wednesday morning.

Three people have been arrested including Weir, 48, a 38-year-old Yangery man and a 26-year-old Warrnambool man.

“They will now be interviewed in relation to sporting integrity matters,” a Victoria Police statement read.

Those matters include obtaining financial advantage by deception, engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome and use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes.

The force said several items were seized including a firearm and conductive energy device (Taser).

The force said several items had also been seized including a firearm and conductive energy device (taser).

Racing Victoria said it had been investigating “the activities of licensed persons” and brought in Victoria Police.

“During the course of our investigation, we sought the support of Victoria Police’s sporting integrity intelligence unit on the matter, instigating their investigation,” executive general manager of integrity Jamie Stier said in a statement.

“As the matters are the subject of on-going investigations by Victoria Police and Racing Victoria we are not at liberty at this time to disclose the identities of the persons arrested nor the details of the investigations.

“Racing Victoria is committed to maintaining the highest integrity standards in our sport and, where appropriate, we will continue to work with Victoria Police on those investigations.”

Weir is one of Australia’s best-known horse trainers and was behind the 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance.

He’s Australia’s most prolific and successful trainer.

Victorian Racing Minister Martin Pakula said the investigation showed authorities were enforcing rules “without fear or favour”.

“As minister for racing and a racing lover, I’m committed to maintaining the integrity of our sport and any allegations of breaches are extremely disappointing,” he said in a statement.

A snapshot of Darren Weir’s career:

* Born in Berriwillock in the Mallee district of country Victoria.

* Left school at 15 to begin work as a horse-breaker, trackrider and farrier gaining experience with Jack Coffey in Birchip, John Castleman in Mildura and Lindsay Park at Angaston in South Australia.

* In 1995 he took out an owner-trainer licence and was at Stawell before taking out a full licence in 1997 and moving to his base at Ballarat racecourse in Miners Rest in 2001. He now has training bases at Ballarat, Warrnambool and Baringhup.

* In 2005 won his first Victorian country trainers’ premiership before becoming first country-based trainer to win the Melbourne trainers’ premiership in 2013-14, the first of five successive titles.

* In season 2016-17 became first to train more than 400 Australian winners, winning 449 races, surpassing that in 2017-18 with 491 victories for prize money of more than $31 million.

* This season has trained 265 winners, 92 more than second-placed Chris Waller, earning almost $19 million prize money.

* Has trained 36 Group One winners, the first being She’s Archie in the 2002 South Australian Oaks.

* Won the 2015 Melbourne Cup with Prince Of Penzance, ridden by Michelle Payne.