By Bill Finley
Reacting to an incident that took place Tuesday at Parx in which he was caught on video striking the horse National Law (Constitution) in the face with his whip following the fifth race, jockey Paco Lopez has received a provisional suspension from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).
“In response to the incident yesterday involving jockey Paco Lopez, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has provisionally suspended Paco Lopez from all racing activities under HISA's jurisdiction, effective immediately,” said a HISA spokesperson. “The provisional suspension will proceed under an expedited timeline through HISA's adjudication process.”
Parx officials also weighed-in on the incident with a statement of their own.
“We are aware of the incident that took place after the fifth race on Dec. 3 and want to express that we aspire to hold the jockey colony and all of the horsemen and women here at Parx to the highest standards,” the release read.
“Unsportsmanlike behavior should not and will not be tolerated,” the Parx release said. 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.”
In the one-mile-and-70 yards maiden race, National Law took the lead on the far turn. But the colt bore out badly in the stretch, so much so that he was only a few feet off the outside rail. He still managed to hang on and win by 1 1/2 lengths. While Lopez was pulling the horse up after he crossed the wire he stood up in the saddle, cocked the whip in his right hand and slashed the horse across the neck.
National Law is owned by Colts Neck Stable, which is run by Rich Santulli and his son Stephen. In a tweet sent out Tuesday night, Stephen Santulli didn't show any sympathy for Lopez.
“After the fifth race at Parx today, Paco Lopez struck a horse of ours across the neck/mouth, after the race had finished,” said Santulli. “We do not agree with the action he 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.”
Santulli was reacting to a tweet posted Tuesday by the colt's trainer, Jorge Duarte Jr., who posted the following on X: “Jockeys are the toughest athletes. We have mental health involved already anyone who saw the whole stretch run would say Paco was outstanding keeping the horse safe.”
Duarte later took down the tweet.
Lopez was scheduled to ride four horses Wednesday at Parx, but was taken off all of his mounts.
It's unlikely that he will be allowed to ride this weekend at Gulfstream Park, but if he does, outspoken owner Mike Repole tweeted that he will not be riding any of his horses any time soon.
“This morning, Todd Pletcher and I contacted the racing office at Gulfstream Park and notified them we would be taking Paco Lopez off Battle Drum in the fifth race on Saturday,” Repole posted. “We also made it clear that if the Stewards do not approve the change, we would scratch Battle Drum from the race.”
In another tweet, Repole wrote: “The actions today of veteran jockey Paco Lopez were completely, totally unacceptable, inexcusable and reprehensible. There is no place for this in our sport. This is why racing needs a national governing body and jurisdiction that reviews all of these important matters immediately and can act on them promptly.”
The TDN reached out to Lopez for a comment, but he did not return our calls.
You have to see this! #8 NATIONAL LAW (4.20) had a huge lead in the stretch before drifting all the way out to the outer rail, just holding on to win race 5 at Parx. The 2yo son of Constitution was ridden by Paco Lopez and is trained by Jorge Duarte, Jr. pic.twitter.com/MR6CSv8VtZ
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) December 3, 2024
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