Winningest U.S. Jockey Suspended for Six Months For Brazen Whipping Violations After PETA Complaint

For Immediate Release:
September 23, 2025

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Lexington, Ky. –

Following a complaint filed by PETA, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced today that jockey Paco Lopez is suspended for six months for whipping violations, including in the $500,000 Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on August 23. Lopez, who leads the nation in wins this year, raised his wrist above his helmet and struck the horse Book’em Danno at least four times.

While Lopez currently has 300 wins this year, more than any other jockey, the suspension will now likely cost him the leading jockey title for 2025.

After filing the complaint, PETA obtained video from recent races showing that Lopez appears to have violated the whip rule in multiple races at several other tracks, including in two yesterday and in two stakes races at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania.

*A screenshot of jockey Paco Lopez raising his wrist above his helmet as he strikes the horse Book’em Danno at the Saratoga Race Course.*

“Lopez wins by beating the horses and breaking the rules,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “This suspension should make him rethink the abuse, and PETA is grateful to HISA for handing down this stiff penalty.”

Lopez has been hit with 22 whip violations since HISA’s Racetrack Safety Program went into effect in July 2022 and was suspended by HISA earlier this year when he raised his wrist above his helmet while whipping horses in three races. In December, he was suspended for whipping a horse well after crossing the finish line, apparently punishing the horse, but was allowed to return to racing 46 days later. In February, he again raised his wrist above his helmet before striking horses in three races and was suspended for one day.

Horses have exquisitely sensitive skin that can feel a fly land, but in the racing industry they are physically punished to make them run faster.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.