Home

Paco Lopez in Gulfstream paddock-February 2010

2010-02-22T02:07:58Z

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS FINAL MEADOWLANDS NIGHT-2009

2009-12-11T21:03:44Z

LOPEZ PULLING DOUBLE DUTY-by Mike Welsch-Daily Racing Form

2009-12-11T20:32:35Z

Miami- Paco Lopez captured his first Meadowlands jockey title on saturday night. He celebrated that milestone the following afternoon by engaging in one of his favorite past-times: Riding in a Quarter Horse race. Lopez not only rode a Quarter Horse race on Sunday, he won the opening event that day at Hialeah Park aboard a first-time starter named High Bar Jesse. "Paco says he enjoys riding Quarter Horse races even more than Thoroughbred races," said Lopez's agent, Cory Moran. "Here he goes and wraps up the Meadowlands riding title in a blizzard in New Jersey late Saturday evening, and the next afternoon he's in South Florida riding Quarter Horses." Lopez is no stranger to Quarter Horses. In fact the 24-year-old journeymen has been riding Quarter Horse races for half his life, having begun in his native Mexico at the age of 12. He said that he had won several thousand Quarter Horse races before finally switching over to the Thoroughbreds on a regular basis when he came to Calder during the spring of 2007. Lopez's career really took off the following year. As an apprentice, Lopez ran away with the 2008 Calder riding title by winning 161 races, 40 more than runner-up Manual Cruz. He was eventually named the Eclipse Award winner as the outstanding apprentice jockey of 2008. Lopez, who was back at Calder on Monday, moved his tack to New Jersey for the first time on a regular basis this year and finished seventh in the standings during the long Monmouth Park meet before breaking out to dominate the recently concluded Meadowlands session. "Although Paco would love to keep going over to Hialeah and riding Quarter Horses, we've got to start concentrating on our major goal at the moment, which is to have a big Gulfstream meeting," Moran said. "He may go over to Hialeah or up to Tampa to ride an occasional stakes race this month and hoping to build on all the success he had at the Meadowlands heading into the winter at Gulfstream." The 2010 Gulfstream meet begins on Jan.3.---

PACO LOPEZ WINS IN QUARTER HORSE RACE AT HIALEAH

2009-12-07T01:47:47Z

After winning the riding title at the conclusion of the Meadowlands meet yesterday in New Jersey, jockey Paco Lopez rode a winner in today's first race at Hialeah Park. The three year old "High Bar Jesse" was a first time starter trained by Victor Gonzalez. Distance racing was at 550 yards.

PACO LOPEZ WINS 2009 MEADOWLANDS TITLE

2009-12-06T15:46:41Z

Paco Lopez ran away with the 2009 leading rider title in his first season at Meadowlands Racetrack.

Lopez led all jockeys with 53 wins and 1.3 million in earnings for the meet, which concluded Saturday Dec 5. Daniel Centeno was a distant second with 38 winners. Lopez, 24, earned an Eclipse Award as the nation's top apprentice rider in 2008 after winning 171 races and 2.6 million. Already a standout on the Florida circuit, he moved his tack to Monmouth Park this summer(rode one month at Belmont) and finished seventh in the standings with 46 victories and 1.6 million in earnings.

"It's pretty special for a rider to come to New Jersey his first year and be the leading rider at the Meadowlands, especially with the caliber of riders that are there," noted his agent, Cory Moran

GATOR BREW WINS LINDSAY FROLIC IN BLANKET FINISH

2009-09-01T03:36:40Z

Virginia and James Gamble's Florida homebred 2-year-old filly Gator Brew won a tight photo finish and survived a jockey's claim of foul to win the $100,000 Lindsay Frolic Stakes at Calder's Juvenile Showcase on Saturday. The race marked jockey Paco Lopez's third win of the afternoon and second victory of the day for trainer Bill White.

Actors Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston filming at Monmouth Park

2009-08-19T21:17:08Z

Cliff Collier and Cory meets actor Gerard Butler between takes on the set for the new film The Bounty (2010 release)

Jennifer Aniston & Gerard Butler film latest at Monmouth Park

2009-08-19T19:26:27Z

Cory and Cliff Collier(agent for Elvis Trujillo) with actress Jennifer Aniston after filming a segment in the Columbia Pictures comedy "The Bounty" directed by Andy Tennant.

"CUSTER" BREAKS TRACK RECORD IN FEATURE AT MONMOUTH

2009-08-17T22:54:08Z

OCEANPORT, N.J.-Padua Stables "Custer" came charging home on the Monmouth Park turf course on Sunday to run down Plenty Coups in the final strides and set a new course record of 1:39.03 in the $48,000 allowance/optional claiming contest by a neck.

Trained by Eddie Plesa Jr and ridden by PACO LOPEZ, Custer paid $16.60, $7.60 and $6 across the board.

A 4-year-old gelding by High Yield from the Dehere mare Burning Hope, Custer boosted his lifetime mark to 4-4-0 from 14 starts. He has now earned $106,749 for his connections.

Custer lowered the course record previously held by Casey's Joy, who ran the mile and a sixteenth over the Monmouth course with the rail at 24 feet in 1:40.04 on Sept. 1,2007.

"A UNIQUE TREASURE" CAPTURES MONMOUTH FEATURE

2009-08-13T01:53:09Z

OCEANPORT, N.J.-Laurence Foggle's A Unique Treasure sent off the 13-10 favorite, led every step of the way to capture Wednsday's $41,000 allowance/optional claiming feature at Monmouth Park.

A Unique Treasure, trained by Jane Cibelli and ridden by PACO LOPEZ, raced the five and a half furlongs over firm turf in 103;1/5 and paid $4.60.