Delivering the sentence, Bowman accepted Weir had been genuinely remorseful and had co-operated with stewards, but these did not constitute “special circumstances” warranting a reduction from the minimum penalty of two years.

“The bottom line is he was the person in charge of the horse, the stables and the situation, he was the boss, he was the hands-on person who actually committed these serious offences,” Bowman said.

“He was in charge of, and was the administrator of, a procedure that is abhorrent and deserving of condemnation.”

Bowman said it was a “fair and appropriate penalty”. Racing Victoria had pushed for a 10-year ban.

Weir can no longer run his successful pre-training business, Trevenson Park, in central Victoria.

Under racing rules, disqualified people, unlike those suspended, cannot be involved with horses.

His pre-training business was an operation he could run while unlicensed. The horses he was involved with had to be in a licensed training stable at least 28 days before competing in a race.

His clients included leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller, who trained the champion Winx, and owner Lloyd Williams, who has won the Melbourne Cup seven times.

Weir was a central figure in one of Australian turf’s most famous victories, combining with jockey Michelle Payne to win the 2015 Melbourne Cup with Prince Of Penzance, who had started at $101. Payne was the first female jockey to win Australia’s most famous race.

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