Darren Weir has set himself a challenge to take on the world
As champion trainer Darren Weir continues to set records one of his next challenges is to take on the world.
It’s not a high priority for the Ballarat-based horseman right now but he is looking to the future.
While not a top hat and tails type, the Royal Ascot meeting is somewhere he would like to one day compete.
“If we got the right horse I would take a horse overseas and I’ve got the right people to take them,” Weir said.
“Jarrod McLean (Warrnambool foreman) is a great trainer in his own right and we’ve got plenty of other staff like him.”
Weir said Black Heart Bart would be an ideal horse to travel while he described the retirement of Palentino as a shame.
“He would have been a much better horse in the next six months and he could have been a traveller as he was tough,” Weir said.
With just under three months of the racing season remaining, Weir last week smashed his previous season high of 348 set in 2015/16.
Brad Rawiller, who has ridden almost 500 winners for Weir, says he’s an amazing man.
“How he’s able to keep on top of so many horses is a credit to him,” Rawiller said.
It is estimated Weir has 800 horses on his books and more than 200 in work at any one time spread between his Ballarat and Warrnambool bases.
He is also planning for the future should things go awry at Warrnambool and he and other trainers are prevented from using the surrounding beaches.
He recently bought the former Trevenson Park Stud at Maldon, 45 minutes from his front gate at Ballarat.
He is developing a deep sand track on the 180 hectare property along the lines of those used successfully in Perth by leading trainers.
Weir will also use the property to spell horses, pre-train and in particular freshen horses, similar to how he uses Warrnambool.
Weir said while pushing past 350 winners was a great achievement he has had more satisfaction from his Group One winners.
“We’ve had seven this season and we thought if we could train six it would be amazing which is one every two months,” he said.
“We just wanted to be competitive in the top end Group races and we’re lucky enough now to have that better class horse that gives us that chance.”
