How Weir hit racing’s big time

Berriwillock, with its dusty plains and tiny population, is hardly the most obvious launching pad for Australia's pre-eminent horse trainer.

Darren Weir grew up in the Mallee hamlet, 60 kilometres south of Swan Hill, on the family farm.

He left school early, living in a caravan at the age of 14 while working as a stablehand.

Spotted by eagle-eyed horseman Austy Coffey as he sat on a pony in the shadows of 'Berri's' towering grain silos, Weir's unconventional rise to stardom started 33 years ago.

Over time, and in different roles - strapper, farrier and track rider - Weir cut his teeth in the bush, studying the best while working with broken down bush gallopers.

A school dropout, Weir's passion was always horses. Other pursuits would come later as he forged a reputation as a formidable reveller, but latterly almost only on Saturdays.

Renowned as a masterful judge of a horse, Weir worked for John Castleman in Mildura and then hall of famer Colin Hayes at Lindsay Park as part of an apprenticeship designed to reach the top.

Granted a training licence when he was just 25, Weir impressed fellow trainers with his work ethic and capacity to wring the best out of bad-legged horses.

Self-effacing, Weir has never been a big noter.

Always something of a lone wolf on a racetrack, Weir is rarely seen communing with rival trainers.

Since starting out, Weir has prepared 36 Group 1 winners, famously winning the 2015 Melbourne Cup with $101 bolter Prince Of Penzance and Michelle Payne.

With a career total of 3542 winners, he is seen to be at the height of his powers with a swag of black type triumphs.

Weir has a trio of training operations. The headquarters are based at Ballarat with stables at Warrnambool and a private training establishment near Maldon, Trevenson Park.

Weir's startling achievements polarise, and he has had his run-ins with racing's disciplinary authorities.