Ron Turcotte, Jockey Who Rode Secretariat to Triple Crown, Dies at 84: 'His Impact Will Live on Forever' Turcotte once said of the ...
Ron Turcotte, Jockey Who Rode Secretariat to Triple Crown, Dies at 84: 'His Impact Will Live on Forever'
Turcotte once said of the famous horse, "When it came to running, he could fly."
Ron Turcotte has died. He was a famous jockey who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979 for his work with Secretariat. He was 84 years old.
Turcotte's family told everyone about his death on Friday, August 22, through his longtime agent, Leonard Lusky. To the Associated Press and Secretariat.com, Lusky said that Turcotte was "a great jockey and an inspiration to so many, both inside and outside the racing world." He also said that Turcotte was remembered for having "abundance of faith, courage, and kindness that was the true measure of his greatness."
The famous Turcotte rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973. They won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, ending a 25-year drought for the feat. It was the first Triple Crown win since 1948, when Citation won it.
Ron Turcotte was a famous jockey for Secretariat, but to his family, he was a great husband, father, grandfather, and horseman. The Turcotte family said this in a statement that Secretariat.com shared.
AP reports that the Canadian jockey died of natural causes at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick, on Friday.
Turcotte, who used to be a lumberjack and started racing in 1961, won 3,023 races over the course of almost 20 years. He retired at age 36 in 1978. He may have won his most famous race when he rode Secretariat to a record time of 2:24 in the Belmont Stakes in 1972. With a 31-length lead, it was the biggest win in the history of the race.
Turcotte told AP in the past that the famous horse could "run like a bird." The horse died in 1989 after being put down. "He was everything." You'll always remember those times.
According to Secretariat.com, the jockey's career ended when he fell off a horse at Belmont Park in July 1978 and hurt himself so badly that he could not walk or move. In the years that followed, Turcotte was inducted into six different sports halls of fame. In 1979, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, and in 1980, he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
William Punk Jr., Chairman of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, remembered Turcotte as one of the group's "greatest champions and ambassadors."
Ron's unwavering support and work for his fellow fallen rider is truly amazing. "He is a member of the Racing Hall of Fame for his achievements in the saddle, but it was his work with the PDJF that made him a legend in the hearts of everyone who works with that organization," he said in a statement. "He will always be remembered and remembered for what he did."
Turcotte was the last member of Secretariat's team to still be alive.
A number of jockeys paid their respects to Turcotte on Friday at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. The Kentucky Derby also posted a message on social media to remember him. The message said, "His legacy lives on beneath the Twin Spires and in the hearts of racing fans everywhere."
His wife of almost 60 years, Gaetane, and their four daughters, Lynn, Ann, Tina, and Tammy, will miss him.
No comments