HISA Provisionally Suspends Lopez for Postrace Strike

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Dec. 4 provisionally suspended Paco Lopez from all racing activities under HISA's jurisdiction, effective immediately, after the jockey was captured on video striking his mount National Law  with his riding crop in the upper neck or head area after the fifth race at Parx Racing Dec. 3.

HISA has legal jurisdiction in most, but not all, racing states in the country.

Lopez's use of the crop came as he brought National Law to a walk after a gallop out and approached an outrider following an erratic stretch run in which National Law bore out badly toward the outer fence in a race for 2-year-old maidens. The Colts Neck Stables-owned Constitution   colt, trained by Jorge Duarte Jr., lasted for a 1 1/2-length victory after holding a seven-length advantage in midstretch. The outcome appeared in doubt until late, and the safety of the horse and rider appeared threatened.

Postrace video of track footage circulated on social media shortly after the race, leading to a firestorm of comments from racing fans, upset by the rider's use of the crop after the danger had seemingly passed. 

Duarte initially defended Lopez on the social media platform X, noting that crop use is permitted in racing and workouts to preserve a horse and rider's safety. He later revised his comments and issued a statement on Twitter that striking the horse in the neck/face region is "egregious and uncalled for."

"I am not a perfect human, and I regretfully let my emotions control the moment and took to social media to defend Paco Lopez's actions, which I have since deleted," he continued. "There is never a place to take anger and frustration out on any animal."

Stephen Santulli, affiliated with Colts Neck Stables, tweeted, "We do not agree with the action (Lopez) took, nor Jorge Duarte's opinions on how the situation was handled. It is truly one of the most unwarranted actions I have seen lately. Colts Neck Stables has not and will not ever condone this type of treatment towards horses. We love our animals, and it is always our priority to maximize (their) quality of life while under our care."

HISA posted a notice of violation at approximately 6 p.m. ET Wednesday. Before that, a HISA spokesperson issued a statement that the rider's provisional suspension "will proceed under an expedited timeline through HISA's adjudication process.

"HISA's mission is to uphold the highest standards of safety and integrity in horse racing. We take any abuse or behavior that undermines the trust placed in our sport by its participants and fans with the utmost seriousness. We are committed to ensuring accountability and fairness throughout the adjudication process."

The Wednesday notice cited potential violations of rules that prevent cruelty, mistreatment, neglect, or abuse toward horses and a jockey from using their crop except in a professional manner consistent with maintaining a horse's focus and concentration for safety and encouragement to achieve optimal performance. HISA further cited its rules that stated the crop should not be used on any part of a horse other than the shoulders or hindquarters, and the crop is to be used only in the post parade or after the finish to avoid a dangerous situation.

HISA rules allow for provisional suspensions when there are "reasonable grounds to believe that the actions or inactions of a Covered Person present an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of Covered Horses or Riders arising from specific violations."

Within three days of receipt of a suspension, a Covered Person can request a provisional hearing, which, absent exceptional circumstances necessitating a reasonable delay of the hearing, shall be conducted within another three business days. At the provisional hearing, the burden is on HISA to demonstrate good cause why the provisional suspension should remain in effect, go into immediate effect, or be stayed pending a final adjudication.

Attorney Andrew Mollica, representing Lopez, said he needed to wait before issuing a response to HISA's provisional suspension.

Via Jessica Paquette, track announcer at Parx and director of advertising and public relations, Parx issued a statement that the track aspires "to hold the jockey colony and all of the horsemen and women here at Parx to the highest standards. Unsportsmanlike behavior should not and will not be tolerated. We will deal with this accordingly. We are cooperating fully with our stewards and with HISA and will support any disciplinary decision they make in the matter."

One of the country's leading riders, Lopez has 269 victories this year, trailing only Irad Ortiz Jr. with 289 victories. Lopez is 15th by earnings, with his mounts earning more than $12.3 million.

This fall, the 39-year-old jockey became the 84th North American rider to reach the 4,000-win milestone. He has 4,038 career victories from 19,542 mounts in North America, and his horses have earned more than $152.5 million.

For all his success, Lopez has often been sanctioned, either for the use of the crop—above the six-strike limit for jockeys—or for other race-riding infractions, some of which have resulted in lengthy suspensions. In 2022, he was handed a 14-day suspension for careless riding aboard In Due Time  during a spill-marred Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Then, last year at Parx in Pennsylvania, he was also given a 30-day suspension for failing to ride out Ridin With Biden  in the Greenwood Cup Stakes (G3) when that horse ran third.