Pascacio "Paco" Lopez (born October 18, 1985) [2] is a Mexican-born American jockey.
Pascacio "Paco" Lopez (born October 18, 1985) [2] is a Mexican-born American jockey.
Paco Lopez was born in Veracruz, Mexico. [3] He lived impoverished in his hometown until he left his childhood house in 1997, aged 12, to live with one of his three sisters. [2] While living with his sister, he began to work on a ranch. [2] Lopez's time on this ranch later lead to him learning how to ride quarter horses and, eventually, start his career in horse racing.
Lopez began his horse racing career in Mexico, riding on bush tracks. [4] After racing on unregulated tracks in Mexico for some time, he moved to and began riding in Florida in 2007, becoming known in the United States for his aggressive style of racing. [4] In 2008, Lopez won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, [5] and in 2014, he won his first Grade 1 race (Graded Stakes Race) on the horse Itsmyluckyday at Saratoga. [6] In 2018 he got his first Breeders' Cup win when he rode Roy H to victory in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. [7] Lopez has won 7 Monmouth Park riding titles that ties for second most ever by any jockey at Monmouth Park. In 2021 Lopez is off to a great start winning 55 races and is 4th in jockey standing at Gulfstream Park Championship meet. His best race was the 2021 Pegasus World Cup Turf where he finished second with Largent.
In 2019 Lopez was handed suspensions of 30 and 60 days, respectively, at Gulfstream Park for separate careless riding infractions. [8] [9] Stewards at Parx Casino and Racing issued Lopez a 30 day suspension in September 2023 for not persevering after he reportedly stopped riding his mount in the final stages of the Greenwood Cup Stakes, costing the horse a better placing. [10]
On December 3, 2024, the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) provisionally suspended Lopez indefinitely after a video appeared to show Lopez, who had won a maiden race on 2-year-old National Law after bearing out severely in the stretch, strike National Law's neck with his riding crop. [11] Lopez issued an apology on his X account, stating that his actions were "reactionary, in the heat of the moment." HISA conditionally reinstated him the following month. [12]
On September 23, 2025, Lopez—who at the time was the year's leading jockey in North America by races won and had just wrapped up his seventh consecutive riding title at Monmouth Park—was suspended by HISA for six months for violating the terms of his reinstatement. According to reports, the suspension occurred after Lopez was called for a crop violation during the running of the Forego Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, which he won. His attorney stated that they would "fight this vigorously" and use every available legal option to seek Lopez's reinstatement, [13] while the Jockeys' Guild said that the six-month suspension was "absolutely uncalled for and beyond ludicrous." [14]
Media related to Paco Lopez (jockey) at Wikimedia Commons