KINGSTON, Jamaica - Former champion jockey Dane Nelson, currently on winter break from his overseas assignment in Canada, has now received the go-ahead to ride the Rohan Crichton-trained Commandant in the 2024 Mouttet Mile.
When the Overnight programme was first published on Tuesday (December 4), Nelson was without a ride in the season’s premier event. He now replaces the first declared rider, the US-based Paco Lopez.
While no reason has been given as yet by the Commandant's connections for this change, this website understands that Nelson's move to replace Lopez resulted from the latter's suspension for an expedited timeline.
The following article on the incident leading to Lopez’s suspension was published early yesterday (Wednesday, Dec 4), on Quickgallopja.com.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority provisionally suspended jockey Paco Lopez from all racing activities under its jurisdiction after he struck a horse in the neck with a crop after a race was completed at the Parx racetrack. In a statement posted on X, HISA said the suspension is effective immediately and that it would "proceed under an expedited timeline through HISA's adjudication process."
Lopez’s agent, Cory Moran, could not be reached for comment. Lopez had four mounts Wednesday at Parx and eight both Saturday and Sunday at Gulfstream.
Video posted on X shows Lopez striking National Law after the 2-year-old colt won a maiden special weight at Parx despite drifting out to the outer rail.
Video of the incident is not available on race replays. This video was posted by Andrew Capone, who is a contributing content provider to Horse Racing Nation.
Parx issued the following statement regarding the incident:
"We are aware of the incident that took place after the fifth race on December 3 and want to express that we aspire to hold the jockey colony and all of the horsemen and women here at Parx to the highest standards. Unsportsmanlike behavior should not and will not be tolerated. We will deal with this accordingly. We are cooperating fully with our stewards and with HISA and will support any disciplinary decision they make in the matter."
Before the suspension was announced, Thoroughbred owner Mike Repole said he and trainer Todd Pletcher asked to have Paco Lopez removed from a mount at Gulfstream Park on Sunday after a video showed the jockey striking a horse in the neck with a crop after a race was completed.
“We also made it clear that if the stewards do not approve the change, we would scratch Battle Drum from the race,” Repole said in an X post.
