FTC Stays Trainer Juarez’s Suspension, Orders New Hearing in Banned Substance Case
The Federal Trade Commission has stayed trainer Eusebio Juarez’s two-year suspension and $18,000 fine imposed by a Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) arbitrator in October for possession of a banned substance.
FTC administrative law judge Jay L. Himes ordered a new evidentiary hearing in a December 2 ruling, allowing Juarez to present a witness with allegedly “significant exculpatory potential” who was not permitted to testify at the original hearing.
The case originated from a January 29 search when Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit investigators discovered two hypodermic syringes containing diisopropylamine in Juarez’s SUV at Oaklawn Park racetrack.
Diisopropylamine, a vasodilator that increases blood flow by dilating vessels, appears in various common products including tobacco, beauty products, and hand sanitizer.
When initially questioned, Juarez claimed no knowledge of the syringes, suggesting they might have been left by repair technicians who had recently serviced his vehicle.
Months later, on April 25, Juarez’s attorney provided an alternative explanation to HIWU, stating the “substance was intended for administration to some injured roosters” owned by Luis Terrazas, described as Juarez’s auto-mechanic.
The attorney submitted a “typed, unsigned, unnotarized, draft affidavit allegedly from Mr. Terrazas” alongside “an alleged handwritten receipt for the auto repair,” according to Himes’s order.
Terrazas’s unsigned affidavit claimed he serviced Juarez’s overheating SUV between January 13-28, 2025, driving it multiple times during repairs. The document stated Terrazas placed two syringes in the vehicle’s console after obtaining them “from a friend” to treat farm animals injured by a predator, but never used them after his wife suggested an alternative treatment.
Juarez, who has held a trainer’s license since 2023, was working as an exercise rider at the time of the incident. He has saddled 27 winners from 126 starts this year, according to Equibase.
HIWU investigators found Juarez’s initial explanation “lacked credibility,” particularly noting that in April of last year, they had discovered a similar syringe containing diisopropylamine in a vehicle driven by Juarez’s wife to Oaklawn Park. In that instance, HIWU declined to file charges after Juarez’s wife claimed the substance was for treating chickens the couple raised.
Two days before the September 11 arbitration hearing, Juarez identified Terrazas as a witness in a pre-hearing brief. The arbitrator rejected Terrazas’s testimony, citing the “untimely” submission.
During the hearing, a HIWU witness testified that the discovered syringes “were the gauge size and needle length typically and traditionally used for intravenous injections on horses” and were too large for fowl. The witness added that the volume of diisopropylamine present exceeded what could reasonably be administered to roosters.
Juarez, serving as his only defense witness, countered that large hypodermic needles could be used when treating chickens, based on his experience.
Judge Himes ultimately agreed with Juarez’s petition that excluding a “necessary defense witness” despite prior identification compromised the case.
“When Mr. Juarez sought, belatedly, to call Mr. Terrazas as a witness at the arbitration hearing, a fair and impartial resolution of the case would have been better assured not by excluding him,” Himes wrote in his order.
No date has been scheduled for the new evidentiary hearing.
