Career
In 1981 he switched to Thoroughbred flat racing and in 1982 moved to compete at New York area tracks. He earned his first Grade I victory in the 1985 Meadowlands Cup on board Bounding Basque.
During his career, Davis won a number of premier races including the 1986 Washington, D.C. International Stakes, the 1994 Pimlico Special and Canadian International Stakes, as well as the 1998 Wood Memorial Stakes. His best result in two Kentucky Derby starts was a fifth with Mecke in 1995 with whom he also finished fifth in the Preakness Stakes. Of his five mounts in the Belmont Stakes, Davis's best finish came aboard Kingpost in the 1988 running won by Risen Star.
On October 13, 1988, Robbie Davis was involved in a racing accident at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York that claimed the life of friend and fellow jockey, Mike Venezia. Venezia's horse, Mr. Walter K., broke his right front leg on the backstretch; as the horse fell, Venezia jumped and rolled under the hooves of Davis' mount Drums in the Night. Venezia died instantly. The trauma resulted in Davis leaving racing for several years. After returning briefly on a few occasions, he came back full-time in 1992. Five years later, he was voted the Mike Venezia Memorial Award which honor a jockey who exemplifies extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship.
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