Ron Turcotte, the jockey who guided Secretariat to the Triple Crown, dies
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- Ron Turcotte, famed jockey of Secretariat, died at 84 after decades in racing.
- Turcotte earned over 3,000 wins and won the Triple Crown with Secretariat in 1973.
- After paralysis in 1978, Turcotte became a leading advocate for disabled jockeys.
Ron Turcotte, a Canadian jockey best known for racing Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown, died Friday at age 84.
Turcotte, a two-time Kentucky Derby winner, won more than 3,000 races in his 18-year career and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1979.
A native of Drummond, New Brunswick, Turcotte in 1974 became the first figure in thoroughbred racing to be named a member of the Order of Canada, recognizing those “who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions” to the country, according to the Governor General of Canada website.
Turcotte won his first Triple Crown race at the 1965 Preakness riding Tom Rolfe and the 1972 Kentucky Derby riding Riva Ridge, a horse he also rode to a Belmont Stakes win that year.
But Turcotte raised his profile piloting Secretariat, who won 10 of his 11 stakes races with Turcotte in the saddle.
“When he was right, there was no horse that could beat him,” Turcotte told Columbia Magazine in 2018. “I already had a Hall of Fame career up to that time and had ridden a lot of great horses — more than I can remember. But Secretariat was the frosting on the cake.”
Turcotte rode Secretariat to the fastest-ever finish at the Derby, winning in 1:59:40, and piloted the legendary horse to wins at the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes — the latter by a record 31 lengths — to claim the first Triple Crown since 1948.
Turcotte totaled 3,032 wins in his career with earnings of more than $28 million, according to the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, which confirmed his death in a statement released Friday.
“As an ambassador for both the sport and the legacy of the great Secretariat, Ron made countless people into fans of racing through his kindness and the time he gave to all, whether telling stories about Big Red, signing autographs, or posing for pictures,” the statement read. “He was a fierce competitor on the track and a gentleman off of it. He will forever be remembered as one of the game’s greats.”
Turcotte’s career was cut short in 1978 by an accident while riding Flag of Leyte Gulf at Belmont Park. Turcotte sustained injuries that left him a paraplegic.
“I was told by the doctor that I would never walk again, and I just tried to do the most I could in my situation,” Turcotte told Columbia Magazine in 2018. “My family was so great. They treated me the same as when I was riding, as the same person. I couldn’t ask for a better family, and I can’t say enough about my wife (Gaëtane). She really helped me and stuck by me.”
Turcotte was an advocate for other disabled riders, and William J. Punk, chairman of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, called him “one of our greatest champions and ambassadors” in a statement Friday.
“Ron’s tireless advocacy and efforts on behalf of his fellow fallen riders is beyond measure,” Punk said. “Although he is appropriately recognized as a member of the Racing Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the saddle, his contributions to the PDJF established him as a giant in the hearts of all associated with this organization. His memory and impact will live on forever.”