Quarter Horse rider Nicasio banned for life in California

Jose Nicasio, one of the leading Quarter Horse jockeys at Los Alamitos in the last decade, has been banned for life in California for being present at an illegal match race in the state in 2024, according to a ruling published by the California Horse Racing Board on Thursday.

The penalty was part of a stipulated agreement between the regulatory agency and Nicasio, according to the ruling. Nicasio is suspended for the term of his jockey’s license, through Oct. 31, 2028. The ruling stated that Nicasio “agrees not to apply for any license issued by the California Horse Racing Board from this date forward.”

Nicasio was cited for a section of a rule regarding conduct detrimental to horse racing, specifically “participation in, or presence at, any non-recognized race meeting where racing occurred.”

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According to a complaint filed by racing board investigators last July, Nicasio was photographed by members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals at match races in California in 2024. The photos, which were presented to the racing board at its November 2024 meeting, showed Nicasio participating in match races in Delano, Galt, and Hesperia, Calif.

In October 2023, the racing board passed a rule forbidding licensed riders from participating or attending any “non-recognized race meeting where racing occurred.”

The PETA presentation was the second time that Nicasio’s name had surfaced in conjunction with being present at match races.

In March 2024, racing board investigators filed a complaint against Nicasio stating that he participated in a match race in Delano in January 2024. In an interview conducted for the complaint, Nicasio said he attended the match races but only galloped a horse and did not participate in a race.

Los Alamitos stewards conducted a hearing in the matter, but did not sanction the veteran rider.

Nicasio, who last rode at Los Alamitos on Dec. 21, has won 325 official races since his career began in 2014. In recent years, Nicasio has won such prestigious races as the Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Championship aboard Jeriko in October 2024 and the Los Alamitos Winter Derby on Brown Coffeee last February.

At the 2025 Los Alamitos meeting, Nicasio finished in a tie for sixth among Quarter Horse riders. He ranked fourth at the 2024 meeting.

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