With Tyler Gaffalione otherwise occupied at Keeneland on Saturday, trainer Kenny McPeek has turned to veteran jockey Robby Albarado to ride SWISS SKYDIVER on Saturday in Preakness 145 at Pimlico.

McPeek said he was under the distinct impression he had a two-race commitment from Gaffalione to ride the filly, starting with her second-place finish in the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks and ending with the Preakness, but Gaffalione’s agent, Matt Muzikar, made other commitments in recent days while waiting for McPeek to commit Swiss Skydiver to the Preakness. It was late Saturday morning when McPeek announced the filly would definitely go to Pimlico for the Preakness.

“I only found out (Saturday) night I was needing a rider,” said McPeek.

Because of travel restrictions and other protocols related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – as well as major races being run this coming weekend at Keeneland, Belmont Park, and Santa Anita – big-name jockeys are in short supply everywhere for Saturday. McPeek said “my options were limited” in coming up with an 11th-hour substitute for Gaffalione but that he has great confidence in Albarado, whose business has slumped badly the last couple of years in comparison to his glory days.

“It’s not like Robby has lost anything on his fastball or anything,” said McPeek, adding he discussed the situation at length with owner Peter Callahan before coming to a decision. “He’s ridden for me a lot through the years, and he’s been breezing horses for me the last few weeks. He’s a big-game rider who just hasn’t had many big-game mounts lately.”

Albarado, 47, has won more than 5,200 races and has nearly $220 million in mount earnings since he began riding in 1990. He was the regular rider of two Horse of the Year honorees (Mineshaft in 2003 and Curlin in 2007-08), and already has won the Preakness, doing so in 2007 with Curlin in a tight photo over Street Sense. His numbers have nosedived in recent years, however, with his wins (24) and mount earnings ($1.7 million) in 2019 being his lowest since 1993. He rode infrequently at the recent Kentucky Downs and Churchill Downs meets after returning to the state following a summer of modest success at Indiana Grand.

Swiss Skydiver, with Gaffalione aboard, had her final pre-race breeze Saturday at Churchill. She is among seven Preakness starters scheduled to be flown Tuesday from Louisville to Baltimore. She will attempt to become the first filly to win the Preakness since Rachel Alexandra did so in 2009 and the first filly to run in the Preakness since Ria Antonia was 10th in 2014.

Swiss Skydiver had been ridden on two prior occasions by Brian Hernandez Jr., with Gaffalione getting the mount for the Oaks over Hernandez because of the apparent two-race commitment extending to the Preakness. Hernandez has the mount in the Preakness on Art Collector, the likely second choice behind the Kentucky Derby winner, Authentic.

Preakness entries will be drawn Monday at noon at Pimlico. Eleven 3-year-olds are expected for the 1 3/16-mile race serving as the final leg of the 2020 Triple Crown.