Racing Victoria stewards suspended McLean until police charges laid on Wednesday are resolved in the Magistrates Court.

Stewards said any horse owned or leased by him is not permitted to race. Any horses entered at Ballarat on Friday have been withdrawn.

The 38-year-old is facing 16 criminal charges, including six animal cruelty counts as well as multiple counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome. He was also charged with using corrupt conduct information, possessing cocaine and conspiracy to defraud racing stewards.

McLean, former jockey Billy Hernan and ex-Darren Weir stable employee Tyson Kermond, both of Warrnambool, were ordered to appear before Racing Victoria stewards in Melbourne on Thursday after the police charges were laid.

Kermond, who did not attend yesterday's seven-and-a-half hour hearing, was also suspended indefinitely until police charges against him are resolved.

The 27-year-old is facing seven police charges, including six counts of animal cruelty and one count of conspiracy to defraud stewards.

Hernan, 31, a licensed rider agent and stable employee, was present at the hearing but was also suspended.

He was charged by police with one count of using corrupt conduct information.

McLean, Kermond and Hernan were all charged by stewards for refusing to answer questions. Those charges will be referred to the sport's tribunal on a date to be fixed.

Barrister Patrick Wheelahan represented the three at the hearing.

Asked if he was disappointed with the outcome, Wheelahan declined to comment.

McLean and Hernan left the stewards' room and exited the building via the back door to avoid waiting media.

The police charges were laid on Wednesday as part of a 12-month investigation that included the execution of a number of warrants at properties in Miners Rest and Warrnambool in January.

Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Darren Weir, 49, of Baringhup, is facing nine charges, including six animal cruelty offences, possessing a firearm, using a controlled weapon without an excuse and conspiracy to defraud racing stewards.

The animal cruelty charges relate to engaging in the alleged torturing, abusing, overworking and terrifying of a thoroughbred race horse and causing unreasonable pain or suffering to a thoroughbred race horse.

Stewards on Wednesday said they would open a fresh inquiry with him at a date to be fixed.

UPDATE 9.29pm: Jarrod McLean, Billy Hernan and their legal team have left the stewards room and exited the building via the back door to avoid waiting media. Racing Victoria is expected to make a statement shortly about what transpired during the marathon seven-and-a-half hour discussions.

9.15pm: Stewards have called for legal representatives of McLean, Kermond and Hernan to enter the inquiry room.

At 8.30pm: Racing Victoria stewards said an outcome would be released soon.

At 7.50pm: The legal team for Jarrod McLean, Billy Hernan and Tyson Kermond has just left the inquiry room after 20 minutes behind closed doors with stewards. One of the legal representatives said proceedings would soon end for the night.

At 4.50pm: Racing Victoria spokesman Shaun Kelly has told waiting media that stewards have adjourned the matter for a short time to consider their position.

At 3.59pm: Yangery trainer Jarrod McLean, former Warrnambool jockey Billy Hernan and their legal team have left the stewards inquiry for a third time.

At 3.39pm: Former stablehand Tyson Kermond has not attended the stewards inquiry after being excused.

Barrister Patrick Wheelahan is acting for all three Warrnambool men and a stewards inquiry hearing into the cases of all three racing identities has just started.

At 3.25pm: The full contingent of media outlets is waiting for action at the stewards inquiry.

The contingent includes all the major Victorian television stations (ABC, channels 7, 9 and 10), both statewide newspapers and Tim Auld from The Standard.

We're just waiting for the action to restart, which is likely very, very soon.

We hope.

At 3.03pm: Prominent racing barrister Patrick Wheelahan is acting for all three Warrnambool men at today's hearings.

At 2.52pm: Stewards have now left the inquiry hearing room and gone back to their nearby offices.

The hearing is expected to resume soon.

At 2.43pm: Jarrod McLean and his legal team have left the stewards inquiry for a second time.

The hearing has again been temporarily suspended.

At 2.42pm: Former Warrnambool jockey Billy Hernan has left Jarrod McLean's stewards inquiry after being called as a witness.

He spent seven minutes in the hearing.

At 2.35pm: Former Warrnambool jockey Billy Hernan has been called into Jarrod McLean's stewards inquiry hearing as a witness.

At 2.29pm: Yangery trainer Jarrod McLean and his legal team have returned to the stewards inquiry.

At 2.10pm: Yangery trainer Jarrod McLean and his legal team have left the hearing and gone into a meeting room to hold discussions.

It's understood the hearing has been temporarily adjourned.

At 2.05pm: The media has been asked to leave a stewards hearing into police charges laid against three Warrnambool men.

The legal team, headed by Patrick Wheelahan, for Yangery trainer Jarrod McLean, requested the media be excluded from the hearing, which started at 2pm.

Racing Victoria deputy chairman of stewards Rob Montgomery then asked the media to leave the hearing room.

At 2pm: The first of three Racing Victoria stewards hearings is about to start at the Racing Victoria headquarters.

Yangery trainer Jarrod McLean is up first followed by former stablehand Tyson Kermond and then former jockey Billy Hernan.

All three have representation at Racing Victoria headquarters at 400 Epsom Road, Flemington.

McLean and Hernan have attended, while Kermond has been excused from attending.

The men were charged by police on Wednesday with a range of offences.

McLean, 38, of Yangery, has been issued with 16 police charges, including six animal cruelty counts as well as multiple counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome. He was also charged with using corrupt conduct information, possessing cocaine and conspiracy to defraud racing stewards.

Kermond, 27, has been issued with seven charges, including six counts of animal cruelty and one count of conspiracy to defraud stewards.

Hernan, 31, of Warrnambool, has been charged with one count of using corrupt conduct information.

A Darren Weir, 49, of Baringhup, has been issued with nine charges, including six animal cruelty offences, possessing a firearm, using a controlled weapon without an excuse and conspiracy to defraud racing stewards.

The animal cruelty charges relate to engaging in the alleged torturing, abusing, overworking and terrifying of a thoroughbred race horse and causing unreasonable pain or suffering to a thoroughbred race horse.

The charges follow a number of warrants that were executed at properties in Miners Rest and Warrnambool on January 30.

Weir was in February disqualified for four years by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board after pleading no contest to four charges, three of them in relation to the possession of the electronic apparatus on his licensed premises and the other for conduct prejudicial to the image of racing.

Weir trained a Commonwealth record number of winners last season from stables in Ballarat and Warrnambool.

It was a Warrnambool-trained 100/1 chance that put him on the international map when Prince Of Penzance, ridden by Michelle Payne, won the 2015 Melbourne Cup.

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