Pascacio "Paco" Lopez (born October 18, 1985)"Jockey Bios: Paco Lopez"
"Keeneland", 2018 (Date Accessed: September 24, 2019) is a Mexican-born American

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Early life

Paco Lopez was born in

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

.Bill Finle
"Paco Lopez, racing's best kept secret"
"ESPN", 2014 (Date Accessed: September 26, 2019) He lived impoverished in his hometown until he left his childhood house in 1997, aged 12, to live with one of his three sisters. While living with his sister, he began to work on a ranch. Lopez's time on this ranch later lead to him learning how to ride

quarter horses The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at ...

and, eventually, start his career in

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

Career highlights

Lopez began his horse racing career in Mexico, riding on

bush track Bush track is a term used in horse racing to describe unsanctioned, informal horse races run in rural areas of the United States and southern Canada. Quarter horses, ridden by amateur jockeys, are raced on makeshift tracks, often set up in the fiel ...

s."Jockey Feature: Paco Lopez"
"One Lucky Mudder", 2013 (Date Accessed: September 26, 2019) After racing on unregulated tracks in Mexico for some time, he moved to and began riding in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in 2007, becoming known in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for his aggressive style of racing. In 2008, Lopez won the

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey The Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program honoring Champions in numerous horse racing categories. This article lists the annual winn ...

,Art Petrosemol
"PACO LOPEZ – A YOUNG RIDER WHO ONLY GETS BETTER"
"TheTwoRiverTimes", 2015 (Date Accessed: September 28, 2019) and in 2014, he won his first Grade 1 race (

Graded Stakes Race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is then ...

) on the horse Itsmyluckyday at Saratoga. In 2018 he got his first

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

win when he rode

Roy H Roy H (foaled April 22, 2012) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who is the two time winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint. He was named the American Champion Sprint Horse of 2017 and 2018. He did not start racing until age three, when he won only one ra ...

to victory in the

Breeders' Cup Sprint The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs ( mile), the race has been held annually si ...

. 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 2012, Lopez’s house was destroyed by a Tornado the size of Texas (tornado size is in question).

Suspensions

In 2019, however, he received two separate major suspensions. The first being a 30 day suspension in February 2019 when he was

reprimanded A reprimand is a severe, formal or official reproof. Reprimanding takes in different forms in different legal systems. A reprimand in custody may be a formal legal action issued by a government agency or professional governing board (e.g. medical ...

for dangerous riding at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

, as well as for several other occurrences of aggressive riding that led to the injury of other jockeys or horses. The second was another 60 day suspension in April, again at Gulfstream Park, for almost causing injury to a fellow jockey, Leonel Reyes, during a race.Pete Monac
"Not again, Paco!"
"The Spectrum" 2019 (Date Accessed: September 28, 2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Paco Living people American jockeys Eclipse Award winners Mexican jockeys Sportspeople from Veracruz 1985 births