Repeat Offender Jockey Paco Lopez Viciously Whips Horse to Win Race; PETA Files Complaint

For Immediate Release:
August 26, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. –

After receiving multiple whistleblower reports that jockey Paco Lopez violated horse racing regulations as he violently whipped a horse in the $500,000 Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, PETA today filed a complaint with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) requesting an urgent investigation.

Video obtained by PETA shows that Lopez raised his wrist above his helmet in striking the horse Book’em Danno at least four times, a violation of HISA’s “riding crop rule.”

As PETA notes in its letter, Lopez 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 after crossing the finish line.

*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.*

“Paco Lopez clearly can’t be trusted to abide by regulations or treat horses decently and should be banned from racing,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “PETA is calling on horse racing authorities to launch an immediate investigation into this repeat offender and penalize him to the fullest extent of their authority.”

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.