Paco Lopez Returns April 1, Rides Book 'em Danno in Carter Handicap

Paco Lopez is back. After a six-month HISA suspension and a broken ankle that cost him months of racing, the jockey will resume accepting mounts at HISA-covered tracks beginning April 1, starting at Tampa Bay Downs. His return is loaded from the jump: four days after Tampa, he rides the 2025 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Book 'em Danno (Bucchero) in the GII Carter Handicap at Aqueduct on April 4.

Owned by Atlantic Six Racing LLC and trained by Derek Ryan, Book 'em Danno delivered a remarkable 2025 season, winning four of five starts and earning Eclipse Award honors as champion male sprinter. The Carter will be the first start of the year for the New Jersey-bred star. The reunion of Lopez and Danno is the marquee storyline of the comeback, given how intertwined their 2025 campaigns were before the suspension severed them. Book 'em Danno won the Grade III True North Stakes, the Grade II Alfred G. Vanderbilt and the Grade I Forego, all at Saratoga and all with Paco Lopez riding, to emerge as North America's leading sprinter.

Lopez is also scheduled to ride Mad House (Vekoma) in the GIII Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn on April 11. Agent Jose Garcia provided both assignments and is orchestrating a busy spring itinerary for his rider.

The road back was not straightforward. Injuries and a suspension levied by HISA limited Lopez's mounts over the last several months, but he is healthy again, has served his suspension and is ready to resume his career. Lopez received the six-month suspension from HISA on Sept. 23, with HISA issuing a statement that read: "The suspension stems from Mr. Lopez's violation of the terms of his conditional reinstatement, related to a Dec. 4, 2024 incident involving Mr. Lopez's use of the riding crop on the Covered Horse, National Law." That suspension has now expired.

Lopez resurfaced first at Delta Downs and then at Fair Grounds, as tracks in Louisiana do not fall under HISA jurisdiction. He made the most of it. At the recently concluded Fair Grounds meet, he won 17 percent of his starts and was the second-leading rider at the meet before a broken ankle on Feb. 7 shut him down again. Agent Jose Garcia told TDN that Lopez has been exercising horses at Gulfstream Park during his recovery, keeping sharp ahead of the April 1 return.

The rest of the spring schedule follows a familiar Mid-Atlantic arc. After accepting assignments at Tampa on April 1, Lopez will begin riding regularly at Gulfstream and will stay there until Monmouth Park opens May 9. Garcia mapped out the full plan in his own words: "He's going to ride at Gulfstream all the way through to May 8, the day before opening day at Monmouth. Then he's going to fly into Monmouth for opening day. We will be at Monmouth until June 25. Between that, he will ride at Parx and maybe some at Delaware Park. But we're going to be more based at Colonial. He'll probably ride there two, three days a week and maybe one or two days a week at Monmouth. We have a lot of good clients at Colonial, and he did amazingly there last year for the first time he ever rode at that track."

The Colonial Downs angle matters. Lopez has been the top jockey for seven consecutive years at Monmouth and was also leading rider last year at Colonial Downs. Garcia indicated Colonial's June 25 opening will become Lopez's primary base once that meet gets underway.

All jockey assignments are subject to change pending official entries and declarations for both the Carter and the Count Fleet Sprint.