Former jockey Robby Albarado, who won the Preakness twice during his lengthy riding career in the top tier of the sport, has died. He was 52.
A spokesperson for Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, said the track was informed of Albarado's death by multiple friends and family members. Albarado was hospitalized in recent days for a procedure to insert a stent to alleviate a blockage near his heart, according to trainer Kenny McPeek, who employed Albarado as an exercise rider.
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FILE - Jockey Robby Albarado takes Dean's Kitten for a workout in preparation for the 136th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 29, 2010, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - Swiss Skydiver (4), with Robby Albarado aboard, wins the 145th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Oct. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
FILE - Jockey Robby Albarado, right, joins members of Swiss Skydiver's team holding the trophy after winning the 145th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Oct. 3, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
FILE - Jockey Robby Albarado raises his whip aboard Cyber Secret after crossing the finish line to win the Oaklawn Handicap horse race at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., April 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)
FILE - Jockey Robby Albarado looks on before a horse race at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., Oct. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Garry Jones, File)
“Saying goodbye to someone who left us too soon is extremely difficult," Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson said in a statement. "We extend our deepest condolences to his family and numerous friends.”
Albarado is best known for riding Curlin to Preakness and Breeders' Cup Classic victories in 2007, and he also won the second leg of the Triple Crown aboard filly Swiss Skydiver in 2020. Albarado has two other Breeders' Cup wins among the 5,222 in his career.
Since retiring in 2022, Albarado had worked for McPeek, who trained Swiss Skydiver.
A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Albarado began riding at bush tracks before turning pro and riding in more than 34,000 races. He earned just over $221 million.
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
FILE - Jockey Robby Albarado takes Dean's Kitten for a workout in preparation for the 136th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 29, 2010, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - Swiss Skydiver (4), with Robby Albarado aboard, wins the 145th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Oct. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
FILE - Jockey Robby Albarado, right, joins members of Swiss Skydiver's team holding the trophy after winning the 145th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Oct. 3, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
FILE - Jockey Robby Albarado raises his whip aboard Cyber Secret after crossing the finish line to win the Oaklawn Handicap horse race at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., April 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)
FILE - Jockey Robby Albarado looks on before a horse race at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., Oct. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Garry Jones, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Donald Trump is making a rare visit to California and Nevada this week to try to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy, border security and crime, seeking to shore up support for Republicans in November elections that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress.
The Republican president has struggled to connect with voters on the economy as elevated inflation and Americans' feelings of uncertainty have overshadowed the stock market gains he often cites along with a low national unemployment rate.
Just before Trump arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday to speak at a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner at a golf club his family owns in Rancho Palos Verdes, authorities revealed that a California man who was carrying ammunition and had a gun in his car had been arrested Sunday at the golf course. The man appeared to have been monitoring security preparations.
On Wednesday, Trump will discuss the economy during an event at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy in an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July. In the same poll, most Americans, 69%, characterized the state of the economy as “poor,” and many said the cost of everyday essentials like groceries and gas was a “major” source of stress in their lives.
Trump’s overall approval rating is at 33%, slightly below where he stood at this point in his first term.
During the trip, Trump is likely to throw barbs at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat eyed as a likely candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028. Newsom has become one of the president’s highest-profile opponents.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to “draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom," touting his own efforts to cut taxes, reduce fraud in government programs, and crack down on immigration and crime.
California was one of Trump's first domestic stops after returning to office in January 2025. He surveyed the aftermath of wildfires that had wiped out whole neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, left thousands of people homeless and killed more than two dozen.
Newsom greeted Trump at the airport on that trip, and they chatted amiably and gestured toward cooperation despite a bitter history. But the comity did not last. Six months later, Newsom argued in a speech that “democracy is under assault” by Trump after the president sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles without Newsom's consent. This came after protests following a series of immigration raids by federal authorities.
Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.
The Democrat's press office put out a statement Tuesday saying that Trump was traveling to California not to help survivors of the wildfires but to raise money and attack the state with lies.
“More than anything, we’d like the President to keep the promise he made on January 24, 2025: to 'take care of Los Angeles,'" Newsom said. “18 months later, survivors are still waiting. And while you’re here, Mr. President, welcome to the world’s fourth-largest economy — growing faster than Texas and Florida combined. Enjoy your stay.”
“Trump treats California like his personal political punching bag — right up until he needs someone to write a check,” California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said in a statement. “He may hit up a few billionaire donors who bankroll his political operation, but the people of California have already made it clear: they want nothing to do with his chaos and corruption.”
Nevada, where Trump will be on Wednesday, is led by a Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, who faces Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in a battle for reelection in November. The contest is considered one of the most competitive governor’s races in the country.
The Nevada State Democratic Party is putting up billboard signs about Trump’s visit that tie him to Lombardo and higher costs. The state is grappling with a shortage of affordable housing, exploding energy demand from artificial intelligence data centers and federal cuts to key state programs.
Trump has tried for several months to sell voters on his income tax cuts and claims of a manufacturing renaissance. But interest rates are high, a gallon of gasoline costs more because of the Iran war, tariffs are still reshaping the economy and, by the White House’s own estimates, there is a national shortage of housing.
The president called his own housing bill a “yawn,” and past speeches advertised by the White House as being about the economy, including one he delivered at a General Motors facility in Michigan last week, gave way to Trumpian weaves about his political enemies and construction projects in the nation's capital.
Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Michelle L. Price in Washington, Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
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