PETA to DA: Paco Lopez Should Be Prosecuted for Striking Young Horse After Crossing Finish Line—and Winning

For Immediate Release:
December 10, 2024

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

He didn’t just violate horse racing regulations, says PETA. Jockey Paco Lopez also apparently broke Pennsylvania state law when he viciously whipped the Thoroughbred colt National Law across the upper neck after winning at Parx Racing on December 3. In a letter sent this morning, PETA called Lopez’s actions “punitive and vindictive,” and urged Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn and the Bucks County SPCA to investigate Lopez for possible violations of state anti-cruelty laws and—if appropriate—file charges.

National Law is just two years old, and the race last week was only his third. As inexperienced horses sometimes do, he veered toward the outside rail, apparently angering Lopez. A full 20 seconds after crossing the finish line, Lopez harshly struck the colt with his whip. Many within the industry were outraged, and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which regulates Thoroughbred racing in the U.S., swiftly suspended him. But this penalty, PETA states in the letter, does not “take the place of meaningful prosecution under Pennsylvania’s cruelty to animals laws.”

“You can’t get much lower than whipping a green horse who won the race,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “We urge the District Attorney to determine that Lopez’s next stop should be in a court of law.”

PETA’s letter also notes Lopez’s long history of reckless racing behavior and multiple suspensions, including five just since 2019.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.