PETA urges HISA to investigate and strip Paco Lopez after Preakness ride

PETA asked the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority on May 19 to investigate jockey Paco Lopez and strip his Preakness earnings after alleging he violated riding-crop rules aboard winner Napoleon Solo. The animal-rights group said a frame-by-frame review of video from Saturday’s 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park showed Lopez raising his whip hand above his helmet before striking the horse. Reuters reported Lopez’s jockey share of the winner’s purse was $120,000. HISA said Laurel Park stewards would review the footage and other facts under the standard regulatory process, and no sanction had been announced as of May 19. ### What exactly is PETA alleging Lopez did in the stretch run? PETA said Paco Lopez raised his whip above helmet level three times before striking Napoleon Solo during the Preakness stretch drive. The group said it submitted still images and video with its request for a formal inquiry. The Racing Biz, citing PETA’s statement, reported the group asked HISA to consider whether Lopez’s actions warranted forfeiture of his $120,000 share of the purse and “banishment from racing.” Reuters, in a report republished by KFGO, said the complaint centered on alleged violations of whip-use rules while Lopez steered Napoleon Solo to victory. (kfgo.com) ### Which HISA rule is at issue? (kfgo.com) HISA’s riding-crop rule says a jockey may not “raise the crop with the rider’s wrist above the rider’s helmet when using the crop.” The same rule also limits use of the crop on the hindquarters to six times during a race, in increments of two or fewer strikes, with at least two strides for the horse to respond before the crop is used again. (theracingbiz.com) HISA’s regulations page says the authority’s racetrack-safety rules were approved by the Federal Trade Commission before taking effect on July 1, 2022. The FTC oversees HISA, and the commission says final civil sanctions imposed by the authority may be appealed to the commission. ### Why is Lopez’s recent disciplinary history part of this story? Reuters said Paco Lopez had only recently been reinstated from a six-month suspension for violating the same helmet-level crop rule. (pastthewire.com) The report said Lopez, 40, was the leading U.S. jockey in 2025 with 300 wins when he was suspended in September 2025 over a Saratoga incident that itself violated conditions tied to an earlier whipping-rule case from December 2024 at Parx Casino and Resort. (hisaus.org) The Racing Biz reported Lopez had also been fined $1,000 and suspended three days after Book’em Danno’s Grade 1 Forego win at Saratoga last August for the same type of rule breach PETA now alleges in the Preakness. ### Can a crop violation actually affect purse money? HISA’s public FAQ says class-based penalties for misuse of the riding crop can include loss of purse earnings for the horse in more serious over-the-limit strike cases. (kfgo.com) The authority says Class 3 violations do not result in purse loss, while Class 2 and Class 1 violations do. California Horse Racing Board guidance summarizing HISA rules says some Class 2 and Class 3 violations deemed “particularly egregious” can require disqualification from purse money. (theracingbiz.com) PETA’s request to strip Lopez’s earnings is therefore a demand for one of the harsher available outcomes, though HISA has not said that standard applies here. ### Who is reviewing the ride now? HISA said the stewards at Laurel would review the race footage and all relevant facts to determine whether any action is warranted under its riding-crop rules. (hisaus.org) Horseracing Nation and Thoroughbred Daily News also reported that Laurel Park stewards were reviewing Lopez’s crop use after PETA raised the issue. Thoroughbred Daily News listed the review on May 18, and Reuters reported the formal call for action on May 19. (chrb.ca.gov) As of May 19, the next public step was the stewards’ review at Laurel Park and any ruling or sanction that could follow from HISA’s process. (thoroughbreddailynews.com) (theracingbiz.com)