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Jockey, who rode the legendary race horse secretariat for Triple Crown in 1973, Ron Turcotte, died of 84.
Turcotte’s family said through his long -time business partner and friend Leonard lukewarm that the jockey died for natural reasons Friday at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick, Canada.
“Ron was a great jockey and an inspiration for so many, both inside and outside the racing world,” LUSKY said. “While he reached the highlight of success in his calling, it was his abundance of faith, courage and kindness that was the true goal of his greatness.”
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Secretariat and Ron Turcotte After winning Kentucky Derby (Jerry Cooke/Corbis via Getty Images)
He was introduced to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979.
“The world may remember Ron as the famous jockey for the secretariat, but for us he was a wonderful man, a loving father, grandfather and a great rider.” The Turcotte family said in a statement through lukewarm.
Turcotte won more than 3,000 races, but his career ended in 1978 when he fell off a horse early in a race and suffered injuries when he became paraplegic.
Turcotte won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes twice each, especially the three with the Secretariat to end the horse racing triple crown drought, dated to citation in 1948.
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Secretariat, running past an audience during a race in 1973. (Jerry Cooke/Sports Illustrated Via Getty Images)
Turcotte was born in Drummond on July 22, 1941 as one of 12 children. He finished school to work like a forest jacket before moving to Toronto to get involved in horse racing, first as a hotwalker and then a jockey who became the leading rider at Woodbine Racetrack before rising to the Triple Crown level.
Woodbine -President Jim Lawson said Turcotte was “a true Canadian icon whose influence on horse racing is immense.”
“Ron carried himself with humility, strength and dignity,” Lawson said. “His heritage in racing, both here on Woodbine and all over the world, will live forever.”
People gather around a huge statue of the Secretariat in Belmont Park in 2023 as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Secretariat at Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New (Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Turcotte won Preakness in 1965 aboard Tom Rolfe and Derby in 1972 with Riva Ridge. But it was his time with the secretariat that made Turcotte a household name in Racing, and he called it “Love at the first ride.”
“He was the type of horse that you will never see again,” Turcotte said in 2023, almost 50 years until the day since the Riding Secretariat in Belmont. “He did something that you’ve never seen before, and will probably never see again.”
