PETA Flags Flagrant Whip Violator Paco Lopez Ahead of Belmont Stakes Weekend

For Immediate Release:
June 4, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. –

With Belmont Stakes weekend and big-money purses on the line, PETA is sounding the alarm: serial whip rule violator Paco Lopez will be back in the saddle—and officials should be watching his every move.

In a letter sent this morning, PETA urges the New York State Gaming Commission and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to monitor Lopez closely for compliance with whip use mandates, warning that his record shows a pattern of disregard for the rules. Lopez has racked up at least 22 whip rule violations since 2022, including repeatedly lifting his wrist above his helmet while striking horses—a move prohibited under Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) rules. He was hit with six suspensions in 2025 alone.

“Rules mean nothing if they’re ignored when it matters most,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “If racing authorities want to protect horses and preserve any credibility, they must hold violators accountable—every time.”

*Jockey Paco Lopez, wrist above helmet, leading in the final stretch of the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park, Maryland, May 16, 2026*

PETA points to a flagrant violation in the August 23, 2025, Forego Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, where Lopez raised his wrist above his helmet multiple times before striking Thoroughbred Book’em Danno, triggering a six-month suspension. Despite that penalty, he’s slated to ride the same horse again this week, along with five others, underscoring the need for real oversight.

PETA also wrote this morning to the Maryland Racing Commission, urging officials to launch an inquiry into stewards’ decision to clear Lopez of a whip violation in last month’s Preakness Stakes—even though photo stills show Lopez’s wrist well above his helmet three separate times before he struck the horse Napoleon Solo.

“The evidence and the rule could not be clearer,” Guillermo writes in her letter to the commissioners. “What is puzzling is why Maryland stewards seem to be manufacturing excuses to misinterpret the evidence and not enforce the rule.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—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.