Melbourne Cup winning trainer Darren Weir, fellow trainer Jarrod McLean and stable-hand Tyson Kermond have been committed to stand trial in the County Court on conspiracy charges.
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The three accused appeared on the Online Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Monday when Magistrate Ron Saines handed down his findings.
Mr Saines said there was sufficient evidence for a jury to find Weir, McLean and Kermond guilty beyond reasonable doubt of conspiring to 'cheat and defraud' the stewards of Racing Victoria and people with a financial interest in three major horse races.
The charges allege they trained horses Yogi, Red Cardinal and Tosen Basil contrary to the rules of Racing Victoria through a covert agreed upon conditioning regime.
Mr Saines said CCTV footage from October 30, 2018, which allegedly shows the three accused using a jigger, and telephone intercepts were sufficient evidence for a jury to find the three had agreed on the regime and keeping it a secret and put it into action.
McLean was also committed to stand trial on seven charges relating to corrupting betting outcomes and one drug possession offence.
Weir was also committed to stand trial on two firearms possession offences.
Weir, McLean and Kermond entered pleas of not guilty to all indictable charges.
The men also face summary charges of animal torture involving 2018 Cup runner Red Cardinal, and Cup hopefuls Yogi and Tosen Basil.
Evidence against the three accused was tested throughout a two-day committal hearing in September.
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Four witnesses were cross-examined during the hearing, including a horse behaviour expert, Racing Victoria's chairman of stewards, a police officer who investigated the case and the police informant.
The case came back before Mr Saines on October 8 and he adjourned it to consider new material provided, including case law.
On Monday, Mr Saines said a jury could find some preliminary matters despite factual disputes, including the three accused were present when a jigger was used and they knew it was in breach of the rules of racing.
He said the jury would consider the evidence of horse behaviour expert Dr Andrew McLean that the conditioning of horses involved pain and tactile pressure to influence behaviour and performance, in the context of the 2018 spring racing carnival.
Mr Saines said he rejected the defence submission that the two charges of conspiracy were duplicitous.
One charge refers to conspiring to 'cheat and defraud the stewards of Racing Victoria' and another charge references conspiring to 'cheat and defraud' a people having a financial interest in the result of the 2018 Lexus Stakes, Melbourne Cup and Sandown Cup.
Mr Saines said he rejected the defence submission that racing stewards could not be considered public officials because they did not hold legal status.
In addressing McLean's corrupt betting charges, Mr Saines said the success of the horses was not relevant.
His defence counsel had made submissions that Tosen Basil did not race and Red Cardinal and Yogi did not place in the 2018 spring racing carnival.
Stable-hand Hernan was charged with one offence of corrupt conduct over information allegedly provided by McLean for a $50 bet on Yogi at Warrnambool four days before the Cup.
Mr Saines discharged Hernan on Monday, finding there was insufficient evidence for the charge to be proven.
Weir, McLean and Kermond will appear at the County Court in Ballarat on November 19 for a directions hearing.
They entered bail with a condition to live at a stable address, Weir in Baringhup, McLean in Yangery and Kermond in Warrnambool.