Big name trainers are set to be the immediate beneficiaries of Racing Victoria's stewards' action against embattled trainer Darren Weir with boom horse Ringerdingding joining Chris Waller's stable on Monday as the mass exodus of horses from Weir's stables gathers pace.
At least 40 horses have officially transferred to more than a dozen different trainers since Friday's charges against Victoria's most dominant trainer were first announced, however, the best prospects from the stable this autumn have gone to Waller, Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and David Hayes' Lindsay Park operation.
Ringerdingding has moved to Chris Waller’s stable.Credit:AAP
That number of departures will swell dramatically in coming days if Weir fails to convince stewards that he should be allowed to continue training pending the hearing of those charges.
The trainer began to argue his case at 2pm on Monday that he should be allowed to continue training until after the charges were heard alongside fellow trainer Jarrod McLean. The hearing continued into Monday night, however, many owners had already opted to move their horses rather than wait out the uncertain period.
The Matthew Ellerton/Simon Zahra partnership picked up many of Contract Racing's horses, Pakenham-based trainer Phillip Stokes picking up several from the Wylie Dalziel syndicates and Mick Price, who has already secured a couple of ex-Weir horses, indicated on Saturday that he was likely to pick up 20 horses in the dispersal.
B2B Bloodstock, which manages Sandown Guineas' winner Ringerdingding, thanked Weir for his hard work with the horse but said the decision had been made to transfer the horse to Waller with the horse's potential stud value contingent on a good performance as a three-year-old in the next two months.
Ringerdingding's main focus is the Australian Guineas to be run at Flemington on March 2, a fortnight before the $5 million All-Star Mile and he is likely to begin his interrupted preparation in the C.F.Orr Stakes on Saturday.
The come-from-behind miler was a favourite among punters and a standout performer in the spring when he came from near last to win both the Springtime Stakes and the Sandown Guineas in consecutive weeks.
Waller wasted no time in taking a look at Nature Strip with the three-year-old sprinter working at Moonee Valley on Monday morning, however, there were many challenges for trainers trying to get new horses firing for the group one races in the Autumn.
Horses will need to get used to new feed and training regimes and potentially new jockeys as they attempt to win group races against horses that have had uninterrupted preparations.
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace also worked Age of Fire and Night's Watch at the Valley after they were transferred to them at the weekend while Victoria Derby winner Extra Brut, who also joined the Maher/Eustace stable, finished fifth in a trial at Cranbourne.
Maher, who trains at Caulfield, told RSN the horse had arrived in great condition and he will run in the CS Hayes stakes in a fortnight while another ex-Weir horse Land of Plenty will run in the Saturday's first group one of the Autumn Carvinal, the C.F. Orr Stakes.
"Extra Brut worked yesterday…he's a lovely horse. Obviously they're in great order and really well conditioned so we don't really have to do a great deal there but get to know them and keep them fit, well and happy," Maher said.
Several Weir-trained horses remain under his name and have been entered in Saturday's key races with many syndicators opting to stick with Weir until the show cause hearing is completed.
Horses are allowed to continue racing immediately after transferring trainers as long as stewards approve paperwork.
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