The jockey of the renowned temple Ron Turcotte, the man who set up the secretariat for the triple crown, dies at 84

The Turcotte family said through its longtime trading partner Leonard Lusky that Jockey born in Canada died of natural causes on Friday at home in Drummond, New Brunswick.

He won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes twice each, notably the three with the secretariat to end the drought of the triple crown of horse races which dated from the quote in 1948.

“Ron was a big jockey and an inspiration for so many people, inside and outside the race world,” said Lusky. “Although he reaches the height of success in his vocation, it was his abundance of faith, courage and kindness which was the real measure of his greatness.”

The record time of the secretariat of 2:24 in the Belmont, winning by 31 lengths at a distance of 1 1/2 thousand, is still 52 years later.

“I still had a lot of horses when I passed the wire,” said Turcotte in 2023, almost 50 years until the day from the conduct of the secretariat in Belmont. “He was not tired. … It was incredible.”

Turcotte won 3,032 races during a career of almost two decades which ended in 1978 when he fell from a horse at the start of a race and suffered injuries that made him paraplegic. The president of the permanently disabled jockeys fund, William J. Punk Jr., called Turcotte one of the greatest champions and ambassadors of sport and congratulated him for his plea and his efforts to help other fallen riders.

“Although his courage as a jockey was fully exposed to a nation of worship fans during this electrifying period, it was after having faced an injury altering the life we ​​learned about the real character of Ron Turcotte,” said the president and chief executive officer of the New York association, David O’Rourke. “By devoting themselves to supporting jockeys comrades who struggle through similar wounds, Ron Turcotte has built a heritage defined by kindness and compassion.”

Turcotte was inducted at the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979.

“The world may remember Ron as the famous jockey of the secretariat, but for us, he was a wonderful husband, a loving father, a grandfather and a big rider.” The Turcotte family said in a statement by Lusky.

Turcotte was born in Drummond on July 22, 1941, as one of the 12 children. He left school to work like a lumberjack before moving to Toronto to get involved in horse racing, first as a hotwalker, then a jockey, becoming the main rider of Woodbine Racetrack before going to the triple crown.

Woodbine president Jim Lawson said Turcotte was “a real Canadian icon whose impact on horse races is immeasurable”.

“Ron fell with humility, strength and dignity,” said Lawson. “His heritage in the race, both here in Woodbine and in the world, will live forever.”

Turcotte won the Preakness in 1965 aboard Tom Rolfe and the Derby and Belmont in 1972 with Riva Ridge. But it was his time with the secretariat that made Turcotte a familiar name in the race, and he called it “Love to First Ride”.

“He was the type of horse you will never see again,” said Turcotte two years ago. “He was doing something you’ve never seen before and will probably never see again.”

Turcotte was the last surviving member of the secretarial team: the Colt died in 1989, Groom Eddie Sweat in 1998, coach Lucien Laurin in 2000, the owner Penny Chenery in 2017 and the exercise pilot Charlie Davis in 2018.

“Ron Turcotte was an icon and will forever be remembered as a trusted partner of the legendary Kentucky Derby and the winning secretariat of Triple Crown, undoubtedly the most popular thoroughbred in history,” said Churchill Downs’ Hippodrome President Mike Anderson. “Ron’s many achievements on the racetrack and his deep passion for horse racing have brought countless fans to sport. We will miss a lot.”