KY HBPA President Dale Romans: On Passing of Rider Robby Albarado

Photo: Robby Albarado in the ESPN Louisville studios, appearing on Kentucky Racing Spotlight radio show the evening before he rode his final race in December, 2021.

In addition to being a long-time fixture on the Kentucky circuit, Albarado was aboard for some of Kentucky HBPA President Dale Romans’ notable wins, including Court Vision, winner of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Mile at 64-1 odds (longest shot in the race) at Churchill Downs. Dale’s statement:

“Just devastated by the loss of Robby Albarado. We shared great victories and unforgettable moments, but above all, he was family. Our hearts and prayers are with his children and everyone who loved him.

“He was my main rider for a long time. He was a good friend to his friends, including me. He was hard-working, talented at what he did, was always upbeat, a good man to be around. He texted me Sunday: ‘I feel like a new person,’ with a muscle emoji. To pick out one race he rode for me, Court Vision would be the one. He got up by a nose. He told me the week before, working him on the turf, that he’d never been better and he could win this race. And he won the Breeders’ Cup Mile at 60-1. Got up by a whisker.

“He had a great opinion of a horse. He worked Animal Kingdom for Graham Motion before the Kentucky Derby. I was standing by the gap where he walked off; Robby looked down and said to me, ‘won’t get beat.’ And he was a longshot.”

(Albarado, who had been kicked in the face in a paddock accident a few days before the Derby, was correct about Animal Kingdom winning at 20-1 but had been replaced on Animal Kingdom when John Velazquez became available upon Uncle Mo’s scratch. Albarado did win the Grade 1 Humana Distaff on the Romans-trained 16-1 shot Sassy Image on the Derby undercard that day.)