CHAMPION trainer Darren Weir's decorated career has been captured in art.
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A detailed mural, which adorns the perimeter of Weir's meeting room at his stable in Miners Rest, showcases a host of moments from his illustrious journey in horse racing.
Over 30 photographs have been selected for the piece, including images from Weir's childhood, the development of his stable and, most recently, jockey Michelle Payne's triumph at the Melbourne Cup in 2015.
The thoroughbred horse trainer said he was pleased with the final product.
"It turned out pretty good," Weir said.
"It's good to see photos of the old (Ballarat) racecourse, or when we built the swimming pool here.
"It adds something to the room - it gives people something to look at."
Jacob Densley, an artist from Terang, was responsible for creating the impressive piece of art.
Weir and his niece Denita Bowman spotted Densley's work at Terang and liked what they saw. It wasn't long before they asked whether he could produce something similar for them.
Since February last year, Densley commuted from home to Ballarat to work on the project.
Working with Weir, Bowman and photgrapher Peter Morganti, Densley was gradually able to establish, essentially, a visual timeline of Weir's career.
Densley said it was a tricky but satisfying process.
"New photos kept popping up along the way, so there was a heap to work with," Densley said.
"There were a few old photos floating around that were hard to find. It was a pretty slow process if you wanted to get it right.
"They seem to be pretty happy with it though, and that's the main thing."
Weir recently added another trophy to his long list of achievements, winning the inaugural Widmer Award at last week’s Ballarat Sportsperson of the Year event.
The brand new award, which acknowledges the efforts of an influential mentor, coach or trainer, was claimed by Weir after an exceptional 2015 campaign.
Weir took out the Victorian metropolitan trainer’s premiership for the second year in a row and, most notably, played a key role in horse Prince of Penzance’s incredible victory at Flemington last year.
Payne, who rode Prince of Penzance, became the first person in horse racing to be named Ballarat Sportsperson of the Year, after famously becoming the first female jockey in history to win the prestigious Melbourne Cup.
