Paco Lopez, the jockey who was leading the U.S. in wins at the time he was suspended in late September for six months, has been named to ride horses on the Thursday and Friday cards at Delta Downs in Louisiana, according to Equibase records.
Lopez, who had won 300 races from 1,194 mounts in 2025 when he was suspended, is named on three mounts on the Oct. 30 card at Delta, and he is named on two mounts on the Oct. 31 card. The mounts were first reported by The Paulick Report.
The jockey joins a growing list of licensees suspended by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Association who have migrated to jurisdictions like Louisiana, where HISA does not have jurisdiction. A handful of trainers who have been suspended by HISA for drug violations have also moved their tack to states like Louisiana and West Virginia, where a court ruling in 2023 stayed HISA’s ability to enforce its rules while legal issues in a lawsuit play out.
Lopez was issued the six-month suspension on Sept. 23 after HISA ruled that a whip violation in August at Saratoga triggered a provision in a stipulated agreement the jockey reached with HISA as a condition of returning to riding earlier this year. The agreement was reached after Lopez received an indefinite suspension for striking a horse post-race in December of 2024 at Parx Racing outside Philadelphia.
Lopez’s attorney, Drew Mollica, has argued that the provision in the stipulated agreement did not pertain to ordinary whipping violations. The Jockeys’ Guild has also been vocal in its support of Lopez since the new suspension was levied.
Prior to the December incident at Parx, Lopez had been issued seven citations for improper whip use since HISA began enforcing riding-crop regulations in the summer of 2022.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.