Secretariat’s Triple Crown jockey Ron Turcotte dies at 84

Ron Turcotte, the Hall of Fame jockey who rode Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown, passed away at age 84 on Friday.

Turcotte died of natural causes at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick, according to his family.

“The world may remember Ron as the famous jockey of Secretariat, but to us, he was a wonderful husband, a loving father, grandfather, and a great horseman,” the Turcotte family said in a news release.

Best known for his accomplishments atop Secretariat, Turcotte guided the colt to victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1973. Secretariat set speed records in all three races, including a 31-length win in the Belmont that remains unmatched.

Turcotte began his career in the 1960s and earned his first major victory in the 1965 Preakness aboard Tom Rolfe. He also won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972 with Riva Ridge.

His riding career ended in 1978 after a fall during a race at Belmont Park left him paralyzed.

Turcotte won 3,032 races in a career that spanned nearly two decades and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1979 and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.

–Field Level Media