PETA 2 HORSE RACING 0
Almost everyone in the horseracing industry loves to bash PETA. I am not advocating for them here, but many will take it that way. It seems of late we have a shortsighted epidemic. I am just keeping score and the recent score is what it is, PETA 2, Horse racing 0
The industry likes to wrap itself in the “all about the horse” mantra, but the current state of the sport suggests that slogan is more of a PR shield than a mission statement. From HISA’s toothless enforcement to the silence surrounding top-tier jockeys, the sport is facing a crisis of character.
The Paco Lopez Loophole
Paco Lopez is currently making a mockery of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). After receiving a six-month suspension in September for serious whipping violations, Lopez simply moved his tack to Louisiana. Because Louisiana is currently locked in litigation and refuses to follow HISA mandates, Lopez is effectively “gaming the system.” The six month suspension followed another suspension which was reduced when Lopez agreed to six months if any further infractions occured. They did.
According to a recent complaint filed by PETA with the Louisiana Racing Commission:
- Lopez has allegedly committed over 100 whipping violations in the last four months at Fair Grounds.
- Documented evidence shows Lopez repeatedly raising his arm above his helmet, a clear violation of both Louisiana state rules and HISA standards.
- In the Lecomte Stakes, Lopez allegedly struck Chip Honcho seven times, exceeding the state’s six-strike limit.
Before his current “vacation” in Louisiana, Lopez racked up 22 whip violations since July 2022. This includes a suspension for striking a horse 20 seconds after the wire—a pure act of frustration, not “encouragement.”
The Churchill Downs Paradox
Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) has shown it can flex its muscles when it wants to. They famously banned Bob Baffert for two years over a therapeutic ointment (betamethasone) that is now largely considered a minor overage in many jurisdictions.
Yet, CDI owns Fair Grounds. While they may not dictate state law, they have the corporate authority to mandate house rules for anyone competing on their property. If they truly value “the horse,” why allow a jockey serving a HISA suspension for animal welfare violations to headline their premier New Orleans meet?
The Silent Scandal: Cockfighting and the Ortiz Brothers
If the Lopez situation is a “loophole,” the silence regarding Irad and Jose Ortiz is a canyon.
It is the open secret that nobody in the mainstream racing media—from the Paulick Report to the major networks—wants to touch. Two of the most decorated human athletes in the sport have been linked to cockfighting, an illegal enterprise defined by animal cruelty and illicit gambling.
| Entity | Stance on Integrity | Action on Ortiz/Cockfighting |
| The Jockey Club | Claims to be the moral compass of the sport. | Silence. |
| Ray Paulick | Frequently crusades against “bad actors.” | Silence. |
| Mike Repole | Vocal critic of industry shortcomings and aftercare advocate. | Continues to name Irad Ortiz on top mounts. |
On Saturday, Repole starts the 2-5 favorite Zany in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Zany is a legitimate Kentucky Oaks contender with Derby potential. By naming Irad Ortiz to ride, Repole—despite his genuine work in aftercare—is essentially validating the behavior the rest of the industry is ignoring.
The Bottom Line
Jockeys are the human half of the equine athlete partnership. In a sport that relies on the use of animals for entertainment and gambling, the ethical bar must be higher than in sports played with a ball.
When a jockey can “skirt” a suspension by moving states, and when top riders can allegedly participate in animal torture (cockfighting) without losing their seats on Grade 1 favorites, the “all about the horse” narrative rings hollow.
Where does it end? It ends when the people with the power—the owners and the track magnates—stop prioritizing the win photo over the welfare of the animal.
To Executive Director Stephen Landry, Louisiana Racing Commission (LRC)
Recent evidence submitted via formal complaint on February 4, 2026, alleges that jockey Paco Lopez has committed over 100 whipping violations at Louisiana tracks since October 2025. Specifically, these involve violations of LAC 35:VII.8902(F)(3), which prohibits raising the wrist above the helmet—a rule that remains in effect in Louisiana regardless of the ongoing HISA litigation.
As an organization dedicated to the integrity of the sport, Past the Wire formally requests clarification on the following:
- Steward Oversight: Why have these repeated, highly visible infractions in the stretch run of nearly every race involving Mr. Lopez gone unpunished by the stewards at Fair Grounds and Delta Downs?
- Standard of Conduct: Given that Mr. Lopez is currently serving a six-month HISA suspension for identical welfare-related conduct, does the LRC consider his continued flagrant disregard for Louisiana’s own safety rules a violation of the “good standing” required for licensure?
- Corrective Action: Will the Commission initiate an immediate review of the race films from the Lecomte Stakes (Jan 17, 2026) and the Gun Runner Stakes (Dec 20, 2025) to address the alleged excessive strikes and overhead whipping?
- Cockfighting: Any comment on leading rider Jose Ortiz’s cockfighting video?
To Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI)
Subject: Property Rights and Welfare Standards: The Paco Lopez and Kentucky Derby Integrity Gap
To CEO William Carstanjen,
Churchill Downs Inc. has historically asserted its rights as a private property owner to exclude participants who threaten the “integrity of racing,” most notably in the multi-year ban of trainer Bob Baffert.
However, at your CDI-owned Fair Grounds property, Paco Lopez is currently allowed to ride despite a six-month HISA suspension for animal welfare violations. Furthermore, documented reports allege he has continued these same illegal whipping practices during Kentucky Derby qualifying races (the Lecomte and Gun Runner Stakes) on your grounds.
Past the Wire requests your response to the following:
Consistency: Does CDI believe that allowing “HISA-suspended” riders to headline their Louisiana meets aligns with the corporate commitment to equine safety and the national HISA standards CDI has otherwise supported?
Selective Enforcement: If CDI can ban a trainer for a therapeutic ointment overage to “protect the sport,” why does it not exercise the same property rights to exclude a jockey serving a suspension for violent whipping violations? Will either Irad Ortiz, Jose Ortiz or Paco Lopez be banned for Churchill downs for the cockfighting video or the whip violations?
Derby Points Integrity: Will CDI allow the Derby points earned by Chip Honcho at Fair Grounds to stand, despite the riding of a jockey currently documented as violating the whipping limits in those specific qualifying races?
An Open Letter to Mike Repole: The “All About the Horse” Contradiction
Mike, nobody in this game is more vocal about the shortcomings of the Jockey Club or the need for transparency than you. You’ve spent millions on aftercare. You’ve painstakingly pointed out where the industry fails the animals. You clearly care. That is why your silence on the Ortiz brothers—and your continued support of them—is so baffling.
On Saturday, you’re running Zany in the Suncoast Stakes. She is a 2-5 morning line favorite, a Kentucky Oaks contender, and quite possibly a Derby-caliber filly. You’ve named Irad Ortiz to ride.
Here is the reality: Irad and Jose Ortiz have been linked to cockfighting—an illegal, underground world of animal torture and blood-sport gambling. This isn’t a “therapeutic ointment” debate or a subjective whipping rule. This is the alleged abuse and killing of animals for sport.
Mike, you can’t have it both ways.
- You cannot rail against the Jockey Club’s lack of integrity while putting one of the sport’s top seats in the hands of someone linked to animal cruelty.
- You cannot claim the sport is “all about the horse” while ignoring the actions of your human athletes when the cameras are off.
When you name Irad to ride Zany, you aren’t just trying to win a race; you are providing a platform and a paycheck to a situation the rest of the industry is too cowardly to address. You lose the high ground when you partner with the very “crickets” you complain about.
We’ve seen your insight and your accuracy. Now we want to see your consistency. Make it make sense, Mike. How does a man who fights for the horse justify a partnership with those linked to cockfighting? The industry is watching, and for once, the silence is deafening. Well, maybe not the industry, maybe just me.
To HISA, Lisa Lazarus, CEO:
Will HISA have Paco Lopez serve the suspension he skirted by riding at the Fair Grounds if he attempts to ride at a HISA racetrack at some later time? Will the length of the suspension increase due to his avoiding serving it?
People see it:
https://twitter.com/Jackpotkimm/status/2019507310603956589?s=20
And people don’t seem to care:
I’m So Confused:
