According to Racing Victoria he wasn't charged with their use, Weir was charged with their possession (to which he pleaded 'no contest'). It's more than likely that photos and videos exist of them being used but there's no way that anyone who supports the racing industry would want that vision out in the public realm. (Early on in the piece it was reported that Weir was assisting police with the inquiries but refused to comment on a photograph that they had; police also have phone taps and video surveillance, per the Herald Sun).

The crime of possession is a far easier one to prove in either a court of law or under the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board. He is still under investigation by police by the way, the RAD decision could be just the beginning of his troubles.


The maths and analysis in racing interests me more than the horses themselves. That's not to say I don't care about their welfare though. I'm pretty naive with respect to training but I had hoped that the essential techniques wouldn't be too dissimilar to how a Little A's kid could prepare for a Carnival (given unlimited time and resources). Would you electro-shock a kid to make them run faster? No? Then don't do it to a similarly intelligent creature. I'm not interested in watching a race to find out which runner responded to torture most efficaciously.

I suggest that people who are blasé about some of the news coming out of the Weir investigation attempt to sense the winds in wider society and try to influence good practices in racing, lest they are imposed (harshly) from elsewhere due to industry inaction.