On December 6, 2025, Oaklawn Park security officials imposed a five-year ban on trainer Eusebio Juarez-Ruffino, just four days after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) overturned his two-year suspension issued by the Division of Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare (HIWU). Following this, the Oaklawn Park Board barred Juarez-Ruffino from the premises until they approve his re-entry, as stated in a ruling on the International Association of Horse Racing Commissioners’ website.
HIWU investigators, tasked with enforcing Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Administration (HISA) regulations, searched Juarez-Ruffino’s vehicle at Oaklawn Park on January 29, 2025, discovering two needles and a syringe containing an unknown clear liquid in the center console. Juarez-Ruffino claimed he did not own the syringe and was unaware of how it ended up in his car, suggesting it might have been left there after the vehicle was serviced at a repair shop.
Tests later identified the liquid as diisopropylamine, a vasodilator banned under HISA’s Anti-Doping and Drug Control Program. Juarez-Ruffino explained to HIWU that the syringe was intended to treat a mechanic’s rooster, with the mechanic providing a typed but unsigned and unnotarized affidavit to support this claim. However, the mechanic was barred from testifying during HIWU arbitration and was subsequently suspended for two years and fined $18,000 on October 8, 2025.
On December 2, FTC Administrative Law Judge Jay L. Hymes approved the suspension and postponed the fine pending a hearing to review the mechanic’s testimony. Both HIWU and Juarez-Ruffino must submit documents for this hearing by December 11 to the FTC.
Meanwhile, on December 4, the Arkansas Horse Racing Commission suspended Juarez-Ruffino’s trainer and assistant trainer licenses based on the HIWU lawsuit but stayed the suspension later that day after the FTC’s intervention. Despite the FTC’s actions, Oaklawn Park proceeded to ban Juarez-Ruffino just four days later. The Hot Springs, Arkansas racetrack declined to comment on the reasons for his removal.
Fan Take: This development highlights ongoing tensions between regulatory bodies and racetrack management in maintaining the integrity of the sport. For horse racing fans, it underscores the importance of transparency and strict enforcement to protect fair competition and ensure the welfare of the horses.
