Ingrid Mason banned from Oaklawn after search finds syringes, needles

Ingrid Mason, a trainer based at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., has been banned indefinitely by the track after a recent search of her barn turned up hypodermic needles and syringes, according to Mason and a stewards’ ruling.

Mason, who last ran a horse on Jan. 4, largely due to weather-related cancellations at Oaklawn, said on Monday that investigators with the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit searched her barn on Feb. 4 and found needles and syringes, which are illegal for trainers to possess on track property. She said the syringes were filled with a supplement known as Movex, which is marketed as an injectable anti-inflammatory.

Mason said that she intended to inject her horses with the supplement and told the investigators that she knew that was a violation of the rules.

“I admitted to the fact that I was giving it to my horses,” she said. “I’ve done it before. But it’s just a supplement. It’s not a drug. In my mind, I’m doing it for the good of my horses. But I wasn’t thinking about the consequences. It was stupid.”

The barn search was first reported by The Paulick Report.

According to the stewards’ ruling, Mason was “ejected” by track security on Feb. 5, and she will not be allowed back on track property “until such time that Oaklawn management approves her re-admittance.”

Mason has a record of two wins from 10 starts at the current Oaklawn meet, which started on Dec. 12.

This is the second time in the past 13 months that Mason’s operation has landed in the crosshairs of HIWU, the investigative and enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

In January of 2025, HIWU investigators searched a vehicle owned by an assistant working for Mason at Oaklawn and found hypodermic needles filled with two banned substances. The assistant, Eusebio Juarez, was suspended two years, but the Federal Trade Commission recently stayed the suspension to allow Juarez to present a witness that did not appear at his original hearing.

Mason was not at Oaklawn at the time, and she said she had no knowledge of the needles or the illegal substances in Juarez’s vehicle.

Mason has been training full-time since 2009, with 558 career wins from 3,788 starts. In 2025, she had a record of 13 wins from 83 starts, with purse earnings of $537,252.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.