Shocking Public Opinion: BHA Revealed Video of Melbourne Cup Trainer Cruelly Shocking Horses During Training, the First Release Caused the Entire Horse Racing Industry to Face the Biggest Wave of Protests in History

In a bombshell development that has sent shockwaves through the global equestrian world, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has unveiled never-before-seen footage exposing the brutal treatment of racehorses by a prominent Melbourne Cup trainer. The video, captured in a covert operation in 2018, depicts the trainer administering electric shocks to horses mid-training, a practice that has ignited the fiercest backlash against the horse racing industry in decades. What began as a targeted investigation into one stable has ballooned into a full-scale public revolt, with animal rights groups, celebrities, and everyday fans uniting in protests that threaten to dismantle the sport’s fragile social license.

The footage, released on September 5, 2025, following a high-profile tribunal hearing, shows disgraced Australian trainer Darren Weir and his associates using a banned device known as a “jigger”—a handheld electric prod designed to deliver painful jolts—to torment three horses on a treadmill at his Warrnambool stables. The animals, including Melbourne Cup contenders Red Cardinal, Tosen Basil, and Yogi, were blinkered and forced to gallop at high speeds while Weir zapped them a staggering 25 times in total. Accompanied by former assistant Jarrod McLean and stable hand Tyson Kermond, Weir is seen methodically placing the electrodes on the horses’ hindquarters, triggering involuntary surges of pain to “condition” them for race performance. McLean, acting as a lookout, is captured striking the animals with plastic piping to heighten their fear response.

Weir, once a celebrated figure in Australian racing after guiding the 100-1 longshot Prince of Penzance to victory in the 2015 Melbourne Cup, had long been under scrutiny. The hidden camera, installed by Victoria Police in October 2018—just a week before the iconic race—captured the acts in stark clarity. “This wasn’t training; it was torture,” said one investigator involved in the case, speaking anonymously to preserve the ongoing probes. The jigger’s use, intended to mimic race-day adrenaline and force faster sprints, left the horses visibly distressed, their muscles twitching in agony as they strained against the treadmill’s relentless pull.

The BHA’s decision to publicize the video marks a dramatic escalation in international oversight of Australian racing, prompted by cross-border collaborations with Racing Victoria and the Victorian Racing Tribunal. While the original charges stemmed from a 2019 inquiry that resulted in Weir’s initial four-year ban for possession of jiggers and conduct prejudicial to the sport, fresh guilty pleas in September 2024 extended his disqualification to six years, including counts of animal cruelty and improper conduct. McLean and Kermond faced three-year and two-month bans, respectively, after admitting to their roles as accomplices. The tribunal’s chairman, Peter Reardon, justified the release by citing “overwhelming public interest,” arguing that transparency was essential to restore faith in an industry plagued by scandals.

The fallout has been seismic. Within hours of the video’s airing on major networks like ABC and BBC, social media erupted in outrage. Hashtags such as #EndHorseTorture and #BoycottMelbourneCup trended worldwide, amassing over 2 million posts in the first 24 hours. In Melbourne, thousands gathered outside Flemington Racecourse for an impromptu protest on September 6, chanting “No More Shocks, No More Cups” while holding placards depicting the distressed horses. The demonstration, organized by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses and Animals Australia, swelled to include families, former jockeys, and even betting shop owners disillusioned by the sport’s dark underbelly. Clashes with police ensued when protesters attempted to block access to the track, leading to 15 arrests but also amplifying the message globally.

This isn’t an isolated incident; it’s the latest in a grim litany of abuses that have eroded public trust. Just last year, an ABC exposé revealed hundreds of retired racehorses funneled to slaughterhouses, enduring beatings and electric prods to their genitals in “killboxes.” In 2019, Weir’s case first surfaced amid broader allegations of race-fixing and over-medication, with horses like Tosen Basil never racing again after the trauma. Animal rights advocates, including PETA Australia, have long decried the industry’s reliance on whips, steroids, and now electric devices to mask injuries and boost performance. “The Melbourne Cup isn’t a celebration of speed—it’s a funeral procession for broken animals,” declared Animals Australia campaigner Lyn White, whose organization has pledged a nationwide “Nup to the Cup” boycott.

The protests have transcended borders, with UK-based groups like the RSPCA calling for a BHA-led audit of all international racing partnerships. In London, a flash mob disrupted a high-society racing gala, projecting the Weir footage onto screens and prompting high-profile walkouts from attendees including actor Joaquin Phoenix and musician Billie Eilish, both vocal anti-cruelty advocates. Betting volumes for the upcoming Melbourne Cup, traditionally Australia’s richest race with a $8 million purse, have plummeted by 30% according to industry trackers, as sponsors like Emirates and Crown Resorts distance themselves amid reputational risks.

Industry leaders are scrambling to respond. Racing Victoria issued a terse statement vowing “zero tolerance for cruelty” and announcing mandatory body cams for trainers, but critics dismiss it as damage control. “This wave of protests is the death knell,” warned equine welfare expert Dr. Elaine Chew of the University of Sydney. “We’ve seen boycotts cripple greyhound racing; horse racing is next if reforms aren’t radical.” Weir, now 55 and eking out a living as a farmhand, has remained silent, but sources close to him claim the pressure of Cup expectations drove his desperation.

As the sun sets on another spring racing carnival, the echoes of whinnies turned to screams linger. For the first time, the glamour of top hats and champagne is overshadowed by genuine horror. The BHA’s bold move hasn’t just exposed one man’s sins—it’s laid bare a system built on suffering. With protests swelling daily and petitions surpassing 500,000 signatures, the horse racing world stands at a precipice. Will it rein in the cruelty, or gallop headlong into oblivion? The public, once passive spectators, now demands an answer—and they’re not willing to wait.