Robby Albarado
Encyclopedia
Robby J. Albarado is an American
Thoroughbred horse racing
jockey
. He began riding at the age of 12 at bush track
s in his native Louisiana
and after turning professional, earned his first win at Evangeline Downs
in 1990. Since then he has gone on to win more than 3,000 races, but his career has endured setbacks as a result of serious injuries. During 1998 and 1999 he suffered two skull fracture
s, one of which required doctors to replace a damaged portion of his skull with titanium
mesh and polymer
plate. Another serious accident in the fall of 2000 kept him out of racing for the better part of 2001.
Albarado's big break came in 2003 when he rode to victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup
aboard U.S. Horse of the Year
, Mineshaft
. He has ridden in eight Kentucky Derby
s with his best results coming on third-place finishers Steppenwolfer in 2006 and Curlin in 2007. He also rode Steppenwolfer
to a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes
.
He is the regular jockey for the 3-year-old colt Curlin who was the favorite and finished third in the 2007 Kentucky Derby
.
Albarado won his first Triple Crown
race at the 2007 Preakness Stakes
aboard Curlin, edging out Derby-winner Street Sense
. Albarado was denied victory at the 2007 Belmont Stakes
when Curlin lost to champion filly Rags to Riches
by a nose. Albarado also won the 2007 Breeder's Cup Classic aboard Curlin, which was his first Breeder's Cup win.
Robby Albarado was voted the 2004 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
. That year, on December 8, he picked up his 3,000 career win riding Isle of Silver to victory at the Fair Grounds Race Course
in New Orleans. In 2005, he was inducted into the Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame. He has won a record seven riding titles at Fair Grounds.
On May 30, 2009, he recorded the 4,000th winner of his career, guiding Keertana to a win on the Matt Winn
Turf Course in the 9th race at Churchill Downs
.
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!Chart (2000–present)
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2001
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2003
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008
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|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
. He began riding at the age of 12 at bush track
Bush track
Bush track is a term used in horse racing to describe unsanctioned, informal horse races run in rural areas of the United States and southern Canada. Quarter horses, ridden by amateur jockeys, are raced on makeshift tracks, often set up in the field where the horses are pastured using barrels or...
s in his native Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and after turning professional, earned his first win at Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs is an American race track and casino located in St. Landry Parish, just east of Opelousas, Louisiana. With a seven furlong oval track, the facility provides close to 1,000 horse stalls for Thoroughbred flat racing and American Quarter Horse racing...
in 1990. Since then he has gone on to win more than 3,000 races, but his career has endured setbacks as a result of serious injuries. During 1998 and 1999 he suffered two skull fracture
Skull fracture
A skull fracture is a break in one or more of the bones in the skull usually occurring as a result of blunt force trauma. If the force of the impact is excessive the bone may fracture at or near the site of the impact...
s, one of which required doctors to replace a damaged portion of his skull with titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
mesh and polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
plate. Another serious accident in the fall of 2000 kept him out of racing for the better part of 2001.
Albarado's big break came in 2003 when he rode to victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers Stakes is of the...
aboard U.S. Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
, Mineshaft
Mineshaft (horse)
Mineshaft was a multi-millionaire American thoroughbred racehorse and successful stallion. He was sired by 1992 U.S. Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee A.P. Indy, who in turn was a son of 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. His dam, Prospectors Delite, is by the...
. He has ridden in eight Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
s with his best results coming on third-place finishers Steppenwolfer in 2006 and Curlin in 2007. He also rode Steppenwolfer
Steppenwolfer
Steppenwolfer is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by Aptitude, who in turn was the son of the 1992 U.S. Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, A.P...
to a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
.
He is the regular jockey for the 3-year-old colt Curlin who was the favorite and finished third in the 2007 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
.
Albarado won his first Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
race at the 2007 Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
aboard Curlin, edging out Derby-winner Street Sense
Street Sense (horse)
Street Sense is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt and winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2007 Travers Stakes and runner up in the 2007 Preakness Stakes by a head. Owned and bred by James B...
. Albarado was denied victory at the 2007 Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
when Curlin lost to champion filly Rags to Riches
Rags to Riches (horse)
Rags to Riches is an American thoroughbred filly racehorse who in 2007 became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in over a century. She was sired by 1992 U.S. Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee A.P. Indy, who in turn was a son of 1977 U.S...
by a nose. Albarado also won the 2007 Breeder's Cup Classic aboard Curlin, which was his first Breeder's Cup win.
Robby Albarado was voted the 2004 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack.The award was created...
. That year, on December 8, he picked up his 3,000 career win riding Isle of Silver to victory at the Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC....
in New Orleans. In 2005, he was inducted into the Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame. He has won a record seven riding titles at Fair Grounds.
On May 30, 2009, he recorded the 4,000th winner of his career, guiding Keertana to a win on the Matt Winn
Matt Winn
Colonel Martin J. "Matt" Winn was a prominent personality in American thoroughbred horse racing history and president of Churchill Downs racetrack, home to the Kentucky Derby race that he made famous....
Turf Course in the 9th race at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
.
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"|-
!Chart (2000–present)
!Peak
position
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2000
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2001
| style="text-align:center;"|9
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2002
| style="text-align:center;"|12
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2003
| style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2004
| style="text-align:center;"|14
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2005
| style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006
| style="text-align:center;"|13
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
|National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009
| style="text-align:center;"|10