Preakness-Winning Jockey Cleared of Whip Violation in Logic-Defying Ruling; PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
May 23, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement by PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the Maryland stewards’ finding that Paco Lopez did not violate the whip rule prohibiting jockeys from raising their wrists above their helmets before striking the horses. After Lopez won the May 16 Preakness Stakes riding Napoleon Solo, PETA released photo stills, below, from video of the race, that appear to show Lopez’s wrist higher than his helmet:

The stewards are trying to gaslight the public into thinking that what we can all clearly see in multiple videos and stills—Lopez’s wrist above his helmet—is not real. We expect a jockey with a long history of whip violations, including striking a horse in the head after a race, to break rules in pursuit of the Preakness payout, but it’s stunning that officials would let him get away with it, and PETA is calling for an inquiry by the Maryland Racing Commission into this ruling. It’s a slap in the face to every jockey who abided by the regulations and to bettors who have been cheated, and it sends the chilling message that protection for the horses is expendable when there’s big money on the line.

Paco Lopez is shown below in front, wearing the white helmet.

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.