Jockey Paco López & agent part over ‘irreconcilable differences’
Troubled jockey Paco López and his representative Corey Moran are no longer working together after the agent said the two of them could not resolve unspecified issues.
“I have ended my working relationship with jockey Paco López (due to) irreconcilable differences,” Moran said in a Wednesday post on X. “I’m just thankful and grateful to God knowing that His hand was there the whole time during its peaks and valleys. I wish Paco the best.”
The split mentioned first by Paulick Report was announced six days after López was allowed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to ride again for the first time in seven weeks. He had been suspended indefinitely Dec. 4 after he was caught on Parx Racing video hitting his then 2-year-old mount National Law in the neck with his crop after a Dec. 3 victory. López was frustrated that the colt drifted wildly to the outer rail in the stretch run.
Two days after his suspension was announced, López took to social media to apologize.
“I take full responsibility for my actions,” he wrote. “I am aware that our sport is under a lot of scrutiny, and I fully apologize to everyone involved in our sport, (including) fans, horsemen, management, racing commissions, HISA and, of course, National Law. My actions were reactionary in the heat of the moment, and I am truly sorry.”
López went on in that post to say, “I have decided to take time away from racing and, in the path of several of my fellow riders, seek appropriate counseling and work on myself.”
Even after that statement, López was booked to ride Dec. 7 in five races on the Mouttet Mile card in Jamaica, but authorities there said they would honor the U.S. suspension and prevent him from taking those assignments.
López returned to competition Saturday with three rides at Laurel Park. He won three races the past two days at Parx. He was named on 30 entries between Thursday and Tuesday at Parx, Gulfstream Park and Aqueduct, although some would put him in two places at once.
An Eclipse Award winner as the top apprentice jockey of 2008, López got his biggest win came aboard Roy H. in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs. A native of Mexico, López, 39, has been among the eight winningest jockeys every year since 2019.