It all began for Robby Albarado on a Shetland pony named Flicker in neighbor Pete LeBlanc's backyard in Lafayette, Louisiana. Albarado was a chubby 8-year-old in 1981, long before he became a world-class jockey. Like Eddie Delahoussaye, Calvin Borel, Kent Desormeaux and many other future stars, he learned the basics on the no-holds-barred bush tracks of Cajun country, debuting at age 12.
“When I went to Chicago, when trainers found out I was from Louisiana, they wanted to use me,” Albarado told me 20 years ago. “They knew I had done a lot of riding because of where I was from.”
He would win 5,222 races, including two Preaknesses, a Breeders' Cup Classic and a Dubai World Cup, in a 32-season career that made him rich and famous. His sudden death on Aug. 4 of an apparent heart ailment jolted the racing world.
Albarado, 52, died in Saratoga Springs five days after undergoing surgery at Saratoga Hospital to insert stents to alleviate a blockage near his heart, trainer Kenny McPeek told drf.com. McPeek said his wife, Sherri McPeek, found Albarado unresponsive at 11:30 a.m. and that he appeared to have died in his sleep.
“We had him here at the house,” Kenny McPeek said. “He was just resting.”
Albarado won the 2020 Preakness Stakes for McPeek with a brilliant ride on the filly Swiss Skydiver. After retiring in December 2021, he became a key part of McPeek's stable, serving as an adviser and exercise rider. Among the horses he worked with were 2024 Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan and 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna.
The popular and charismatic Albarado's death prompted dozens of tributes.
“Saying goodbye to someone who left us too soon is extremely difficult,” Churchill Downs racetrack president Mike Anderson said. “The Churchill Downs family is saddened by this devastating loss.”
McPeek called Albarado “a great friend, and there was nobody better on a horse than Robby Albarado. He needs to be in the Hall of Fame.”
Albarado rode two Horses of the Year -- Mineshaft (2003) and Curlin (2007, 2008). Curlin was his horse of a lifetime, and together they won the Preakness and the Classic in 2007 and the Dubai World Cup in 2008. Albarado's horses earned more than $221 million, ranking 19th all time, and only 33 other riders surpassed 5,000 victories.
“His unforgettable victory in the Classic remains a defining moment in Breeders' Cup history,” the Breeders' Cup said in a statement. “A gifted horseman and a fierce competitor, he dedicated his life to thoroughbred racing and left a lasting mark on the sport.”
Terry Meyocks, president and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild, said: “On behalf of the Jockeys' Guild and all of our members, we are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of our friend and fellow jockey Robby Albarado.
“He was a valued member of the Guild Board and Senate, always advocating for the well-being of all jockeys. We extend our condolences and our hearts go out to all of his children, family members, and those who loved him during this unimaginably difficult time.”
The late Pete LeBlanc was a Cajun trainer who bought the pony Flicker and a saddle for 8-year-old Robby. It was in LeBlanc's backyard where he learned to ride. Albarado thought of him as a second father, and when he was inducted into the Fair Grounds Hall of Fame in 2005, he dedicated the evening to Pete.
“If it wasn't for him,” Albarado said, “I probably wouldn't be where I am today.”
“I taught Robby everything, how to sit in the saddle, you name it,” said LeBlanc, a former jockey. “He's just like my son. I raised him. He takes me out whenever he sees me. He never forgot.”
Curlin's nose victory in the Preakness over Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense was a peak experience for LeBlanc.
“That was one hell of a race,” he said. “Robby Albarado: What a story. What a man.”
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
