* Born in Berriwillock in the Mallee district of country Victoria
* Left school at 15 to begin work as a horse-breaker, track rider and farrier gaining experience with Jack Coffey in Birchip, John Castleman in Mildura and Lindsay Park at Angaston in South Australia
* In 1995 he took out an owner-trainer licence firstly at Stawell before taking out a full licence in 1997 and moving to his base at Ballarat racecourse in Miners Rest in 2001. Now has training bases at Ballarat, Warrnambool and Baringhup
* Has trained in excess of 3500 winners
* In 2005 won his first Victorian country trainers' premiership before becoming first country-based trainer to win the Melbourne trainers' premiership in 2013-14, the first of five successive titles
* In season 2016-17 became first to train more than 400 Australian winners, winning 449 races, surpassing that in 2017-18 with 491 victories for prize money of more than $31 million
* This season has trained 265 winners earning almost $19 million prize money
* Winner of 36 Group One winners, the first She's Archie in the 2002 South Australian Oaks
* Won the 2015 Melbourne Cup with Prince Of Penzance, ridden by Michelle Payne
WEIR AND STEWARDS:
* January 2001 – suspended for eight weeks for giving false evidence into late scratching of Amanda Huggenkiss at Warrnambool. Also fined $1000 for removing the horse from saddling paddock at Warrnambool and being in possession of a needle
* October 2002 – fined $1000 after being found at Managatang races with equipment capable of tubing a horse
* September 2003 – suspended for three months when found guilty of stomach tubing Kinther King in float enroute to Murtoa races in August 2003
* May 2006 – Glebe Run was scratched on final day of Warrnambool's May carnival when stewards considered there was a strong possibility the horse had been stomach-tubed. Urine and blood tests proved negative and no action taken
* February 2008 – fined $15,000 after Grey Jeune returned an elevated TCO2 (bi-carb) pre-race blood sample at Murtoa in July 2007
* November 2009 – fined $1500 after a pre-race stable inspection revealed Lethal Gal was located at the stable of another trainer
* May 2013 – fined $7000 after Doing Our Best returned a positive swab to Frusemide (a diuretic) after winning a maiden race at Ballarat in February 2013
* November 2013 – fined $2000 after Platelet was found to be at Warrnambool and not Ballarat resulting in the mare's scratching from a Group One sprint at Flemington
September 2017 – fined $2500 after trialling Air Guitar at Burrumbeet in June with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories in system
* January 2018 – fined $500 and Night's Watch scratched from a Doomben race following late arrival on course
* September 2018 – fined $5000 for providing false information over seven horses that contested Ballarat jump-outs in August
* February 1, 2019 – charged with conduct prejudicial to the image, interests or welfare of racing, possessing three electrical devices capable of affecting the performance of a horse and failing to answer questions at an inquiry.
* Stewards ask him to show cause why he should be allowed to keep racing and invoke interim order order to scratch his weekend runners
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