Monmouth stewards fine Paco Lopez $1,000 for careless riding

The Monmouth Park stewards have fined jockey Paco Lopez $1,000 in a ruling dated Sunday for careless riding in the sixth race June 23.

Lopez, a five-time leading rider at Monmouth, has been under a microscope following two careless-riding suspensions at Gulfstream Park this winter.

He was suspended 30 days in February for his part in a spill in which jockeys Romero Maragh and Carlos Montalvo were injured. Two months later, he was suspended 60 racing days – the suspension was later reduced to 30 racing days – for “continuous careless riding” on Itsmyluckycharm, who was disqualified from first to 10th on April 14.

Lopez resumed riding June 15 and has since gone 22 for 77 at Monmouth, a win average of 30 percent. Since his return, he has won the Grade 1 United Nations on Hunter O’Riley, the Grade 3 Eatontown on Valdedictorian, and the Grade 3 Parx Dash last Saturday on Purse Sensation.\

In the June 23 race, Lopez angled out Bigmouthed three wide entering the stretch of the one-mile turf race, with Nik Juarez aboard Small Hope checking behind him. Bigmouthed went on to win easily by 5 1/2 lengths. Small Hope tired to finish seventh.

There is no mention of a jockey’s objection or stewards’ inquiry in the race chart footnote.

Lopez, a 33-year-old native of Mexico, is a winner of 2,517 races. His mounts have purse earnings of more than $88 million.