The secretariat jockey Ron Turcotte died Friday at the age of 84.
The news was confirmed by the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame: “Ron is a legendary rider and the inspiration for everything he has achieved and overcome in his incredible life. Although known for his secretary-general’s sweeping the triple crown, he won 31-length victory with the 31-year-old racing victory over 3,000 years. Ron’s ambassador and the legacy of the great secretariat has brought countless people through his kindness and the time he gives to all, whether it’s telling stories of the big red, signing autographs or posing for his pictures.
Turcotte was inducted into the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in 1979, winning 3,032 races, but will always be remembered as the main rider of the Great Secretariat.
Turcotte did not ride the Secretariat in his first two games. Apprentice Paul Feliciano did it. Turcotte took over the 1972 stipend race in Saratoga, and over the next 18 races, Turcotte and Secterariat played a show, unlike anything that had been racing for decades.
Winning Sanford, the Promising, Future, Laurel Fortune and Garden State Shares, is a 2-year-old Secretariat, appointed as the annual horse racing in 1972. He repeated the feat in 1973, thanks in large part to the long history of the Triple Crown Championship. The best of the best is Belmont’s bet, with the Secretariat winning the match with 31 times. The horse ran so fast that some people were worried that Turcotte would explode the race while the secretary had nothing to do.
Turcotte told Tom Pedulla in 2018. “I know we’ve walked forward with the long and pleasant strides in the Secretariat, and the rest are far behind us,” 2018. “I know he will get a mile and a half effortless.
Turcotte mentioned the timing of Preakness, which was officially 1:55, but several observers quickly reduced his speed to 1:53 2/5, enough to break the record.
After the controversy over the timing of the deliberation, I hope the Secretariat will create a long record. With 70 yards away, I laughed at him to make sure he didn't lose his concentration. He responded to another equipment. Make sure the game is won. Ensure that the Secretary won the 25-year championship in 25 years, it is a field that can be declared. Call up.
Ron Turcotte and the Secretariat's unforgettable Belmont win | Nyra Photos
Turcotte at his final start with the GII GII Canadian International Team without a ride secretariat on Woodbine due to careless riding pauses. The mount went to Eddie Maple.
With coach Lucien Laurin passing away in 2000 and in 2017, owner Penny Tweedy, Turcotte is the last member of the three who directed the Secretariat’s career.
Born in Drummond, New Brunswick, Canada in 1941, he is one of 12 children. He left school at the age of 14 to work as a lumberjack with his father. A few years later, he will begin his racing career in 1960 and serve as Hot Walker at Windfields Farm in Ep Taylor. He rode in his homeland at the beginning of his career and won his first game in 1962. A year later, Turcotte was still an apprentice, when he took the North Dancer as he made his debut in 1963 at Fort Erie.
In 1965, he won his first triple-champion match with Tom Rolfe.
Turcotte will eventually find a way to the New York track, where he establishes himself as one of the top jockeys in the country. He formed a working relationship with Laurin, who gave him a mount on another Hall of Fame Riva Ridge. With Turcotte boarding, he won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont in 1972. A year later, Turcotte became the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby back-to-back run in seventy years.
His other notable wins over his 18-year career include the Kentucky Oaks, the JJ Club Gold Cup, the Florida Derby, Travers, Alabama, the Wood Memorial and the San Anita Barrier. He led all riders to win in 1972 and 1973.
Turcotte's career ended tragically in an oil spill in Belmont Park on July 13, 1978, when he landed on the filly flag of Leyte Gulf. The injury left him paraplegia.
Turcotte told writer Eddie Donnally in 1988: “I walked under the bridge.
Turcotte never walked again, but he has been active in the sport, making numerous appearances on the track to celebrate his career and raise awareness about the permanent disability jockey foundation. After his career, he moved back to New Brunswick and settled in the town of Great Falls. In 2015, Grand Falls honored him with a life-sized statue of his riding secretariat.
“I've won many awards and trophies from all over the place, but it's really special to me and my family to make my own town in this way,” Turcotte said. “Believe me, it's very touching. It made me cry a few times there.”
In addition to the National Racing Hall of Fame Museum, Turcotte was inducted into the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame and the New York Sports Hall of Fame. He won the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award, the George Woolf Memorial Award and the Sovereign Award, the Canadian version of the Eclipse Awards. Turcotte was appointed Canadian athlete in 1973 and was the first purebred racer ever to be appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.
After Turcotte's death last Friday, William Punk, chairman of the Permanent Disability Jockey Foundation, has made him a giant for everyone associated with the organization.
National HBPA added: “The National Riders' Mercy and Conservation Association joins the entire racing community to mourn the death of Ron Turcotte, one of the most famous and popular jockeys in the sport. It is best to remember that he was unsung in the race at the ruthless crown of 1973, which is known as the secret racer and is well known. Lifelong attitude toward purebred racing will forever be intertwined with the greatness of our sport.
This article will be updated.