Australia-wide winners for Darren Weir

Darren Weir has bounced back from a slow start, by his standards, in the new racing season, training seven winners at four racetracks across three states.

Weir, who trained 491 winners around Australia last season, had only six winners to his name before racing on Saturday.

He prepared four winners at Flemington, had success with Artie Dee Two at Morphettville in Adelaide, saw Penthouse Playboy score at the second Victorian meeting at Moe, and sent It’s A Silvertail from his Ballarat stable to win a 2900m race at Newcastle.

Weir won four races straight at Flemington starting with Choisborder in the VRC Member James Hibberd Handicap before The Statesman scored in the VRC Member Darren Allsop Handicap.

He then took out the day’s feature, the Group Three Aurie’s Star Handicap, before getting the quinella in the following race when Theanswermyfriend held off stablemate Night’s Watch in the VRC Member Damian Cubela Handicap.

Chasing five straight in the final race, Weir saddled $2.80 favourite Mantastic, who finished third in the VRC Members Handicap.

Weir trained five winners at the corresponding meeting in 2016, where he also captured the Aurie’s Star Handicap with Sooboog.