Leading horse trainers Darren Weir and Yangery’s Jarrod McLean are under police investigation after their stables were raided on Wednesday morning.
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Police said four south-west properties and Weir’s Miners Rest base near Ballarat were extensively searched as part of investigations stretching more than five months into alleged corruption and animal cruelty.
Police said a 38-year-old Yangery man and a 26-year-old Warrnambool man were arrested and interviewed after the raids on stables at the city’s racecourse, a Belmore Road property in Warrnambool and two properties at Conns Lane and Caramut Road in Yangery.
McLean, who has stables at Yangery, is also foreman of Weir’s Warrnambool satellite stable.
Racing Victoria, Victoria Police and Australian Federal Police members swarmed on the properties about 6am.
Victoria police Assistant Commissioner Neil Paterson said an unregistered firearm, four electric shock devices known as“ jiggers” and a small quantity of what was believed to be cocaine were found.
He confirmed three "jiggers" were seized at one property, with a fourth found at another and said police were looking at the alleged use of the devices.
He said the scope of the investigation went beyond the use of jiggers and into broader integrity issues.
“The allegation is they may be used against a horse with the aim of improving the performance of a horse on a particular raceday,” he said.
The three men were questioned in relation to obtaining financial advantage by deception, engaging in conduct that corrupted a betting outcome of an event and the use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes.
All were released without charges and investigations continue.
Assistant Commissioner Paterson said there was also evidence to suggest a video existed of jiggers being used, which was central to the investigation.
He called on anyone with footage to call Crime Stoppers, or police.
He said police had been investigating the allegations since August 2018, after Racing Victoria sought its support during its own investigations, which ultimately led to the raids on Wednesday morning.
Racing Victoria’s Giles Thompson said anyone with information should contact stewards.
“We appreciate that the arrest of three licensed persons is of great interest to the racing industry and the wider community,” he said.
“We would clearly rather not be talking about this incident in racing. It is not good for the image of racing. What is vital is that the integrity is maintained. To do that you have to investigate. We invest a huge amount of resources in our integrity team and occasionally we end up with issues such as this.
“You have to deal with them and tackle them head on. It is important that we do so, so that those in our industry, the vast majority who do the right thing, feel that they can compete on a level playing field.”
The trainers are able to continue operations although Mr Thompson said racing stewards would determine if they would be stood down in the future.
Warrnambool Racing Club chief executive officer Peter Downs declined to elaborate on the police raids and arrests, saying it was an ongoing police investigation.
"Integrity is the most important thing in this matter," he said.
"It's a matter for the stewards and police."
State Racing Minister Martin Pakula said he was aware of the investigation.
“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.
There is no suggestion the allegations are true, only they are being investigated.
McLean did not return calls.
Darren Weir Racing business manager Mick Leonard said it was business as usual.
“Our main aim is to ensure our owners are not disadvantaged by this process in any way, and accordingly it is business as usual in regards to the training and care of your horses,” he said in a statement.
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