Robby Albarado facts for kids

Robby J. Albarado, born on September 11, 1973, is a famous American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He started riding horses when he was just 10 years old. By age 12, he was racing at small local tracks in his home state of Louisiana. Robby became a professional jockey and won his first official race in 1990.

Since then, he has won over 5,000 races! However, his career has also faced challenges due to serious injuries. In 1998 and 1999, he had two skull fractures. One injury needed surgery to replace part of his skull with special materials. Another bad accident in late 2000 kept him from racing for most of 2001.

Early Life and Training

Robby Albarado's father was also a jockey. He raced horses at local tracks in Louisiana. Robby grew up wanting to race horses too. He said that his earliest memory, from when he was about four to six years old, was wanting to be near horses.

He started by cleaning stalls and walking horses. When he was 9 or 10, he began galloping horses. From that moment, racing was all he wanted to do. Robby started riding at age 10. He was taught by Shelton LeBlanc, a horse trainer in South Louisiana. By age 12, Robby was riding at local "bush tracks." He became a professional jockey at 16.

Robby's Racing Career

Robby Albarado got his first career win on June 29, 1990. He was riding a horse named One Little Point at Evangeline Downs. His first win in a major race, called a stakes race, happened in 1993. He won with Tuck's Honey Bear at Louisiana Downs.

In 1995, he won his first "graded stakes" race. This was aboard Snake Eyes in the Stars and Stripes Stakes at Arlington Park. His first Grade I victory, which is the highest level of race, came in 1998. He won the Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs on a horse named Joyeux Danseur.

Overcoming Injuries

Robby's career faced big challenges when he suffered skull fractures in 1998 and 1999. These injuries needed surgery. He also missed most of 2001 after a fall in late 2000. Despite these setbacks, he kept coming back to race.

Big Wins and Awards

In 2003, Robby got a huge opportunity. He became the jockey for a horse named Mineshaft. Together, they won four Grade I races, including the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Mineshaft even won the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. In 2005, Robby and Mineshaft were honored. They were put into the Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame. At that time, Robby had won a record seven riding titles at that race course.

Robby was given the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 2004. This award honors jockeys who show high standards of personal conduct. On December 8, 2004, he achieved his 3,000th career win. This happened at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.

Riding Curlin and Other Champions

Robby was the regular jockey for a famous horse named Curlin. Curlin was a favorite in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, finishing third. Robby won his first Triple Crown race in 2007. He rode Curlin to victory at the Preakness Stakes, beating the Derby winner, Street Sense.

They almost won the 2007 Belmont Stakes. Curlin lost by a tiny bit to a champion filly named Rags to Riches. Later in 2007, Robby won his first Breeders' Cup race. He rode Curlin to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. The two of them also won the Dubai World Cup in 2008, an important international race.

On May 30, 2009, Robby reached his 4,000th career win. He guided a horse named Keertana to victory at Churchill Downs.

Later Career Milestones

In 2011, Robby was supposed to ride Animal Kingdom in the Kentucky Derby. But he got injured in a fall just three days before the race. Another jockey rode Animal Kingdom, who went on to win the Derby. In 2013, Robby finished second in the Derby on Golden Soul.

As of 2017, Robby is one of the top riders of all time at Churchill Downs. He is behind only Hall of Famers Pat Day and Calvin Borel. He earned his 1,000th win at Churchill Downs on November 13, 2014. In 2008, he won the spring racing title there with 73 wins.

On January 22, 2017, Robby achieved his 5,000th career win. He rode Vivacious V. V. to victory at Fair Grounds Race Course. He said he felt more comfortable and was making good decisions. He also mentioned his great relationship with his agent, Lenny Pike.

On October 3, 2020, Robby rode the winning horse Swiss Skydiver in the 2020 Preakness Stakes. Robby rode his last career race on December 11, 2021, at Turfway Park. As of 2023, he is thinking about becoming an agent for other jockeys.