LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – PETA sent a letter to Churchill Downs Inc. to ask for a jockey to be banned from the Kentucky Derby, saying he violated whipping regulations.
In a press release, PETA said jockey Paco Lopez had been suspended for six months by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) in September for “serious whipping violations,” and that PETA had documented Lopez committing the same actions in the last four months when racing in Louisiana.
The release said Lopez raised his arm “far above his helmet to violently crack down on the horse he was riding,” and that while Louisiana is not covered by HISA, state whipping regulations are consistent with HISA’s measures…