Hall of Fame rider Ron Turcotte, Secretariat’s jockey, dies at 84

Ron Turcotte, the Hall of Fame jockey who rode Secretariat in his record-setting Triple Crown victories in 1973, died Friday at age 84 he died at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick, Canada.

Turcotte also rode Riva Ridge to victories in the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

News of Turcotte’s death was announced Friday by his family on the Secretariat.com website. A cause of death was not disclosed.

50 years after: Turcotte still speaks of his love for Secretariat.

“He was a gallant and valiant man,” Kate Tweedy, daughter of Secretariat’s late owner Penny Chenery, told Horse Racing Nation. “He was a man of incredible courage with great riding skills. I really think he had this great, intuitive sense about horses that enabled him to communicate so well with Secretariat to be able to make the very, very best of his amazing talents and Riva Ridge’s. And of course the way he lived the rest of his life. That just took such courage. He was so great with fans, showing up and signing for long periods of time no matter how he felt. He loved and respected Secretariat.”

Turcotte began his career as a jockey in 1961 and won 3,023 races with lifetime earnings of $29.6 million in an era prior to the larger purses of modern-day racing.

In a statement, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame said, “Ron was a legendary rider and also an inspiration for all he achieved and overcame during his incredible life. Although best known for sweeping the Triple Crown with Secretariat, culminating with a 31-length victory in the 1973 Belmont Stakes, Turcotte’s Hall of Fame career spanned 18 years and more than 3,000 wins. As an ambassador for both the sport and the legacy of the great Secretariat, Ron made countless people into fans of racing through his kindness and the time he gave to all, whether telling stories about Big Red, signing autographs or posing for pictures. He was a fierce competitor on the track and a gentleman off of it. He will forever be remembered as one of the game’s greats.”

Turcotte’s career ended in the summer of 1978, when he was paralyzed in a fall at Belmont Park. He was hurt again in 2015 in a snowy accident driving near his home in New Brunswick.

After his riding career, Turcotte spent a lot of years staying in public. He has made appearances to sign autographs, meet fans and reminisce about Secretariat. Those meet-and-greets went a long way toward raising money and awareness for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

“The board of directors of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and its recipients mourn the passing of one our greatest champions and ambassadors," the organization said in a news release. "Ron’s tireless advocacy and efforts on behalf of his fellow fallen rider is beyond measure. Although he is appropriately recognized as a member of the racing Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the saddle, his contributions to the PDJF established him as a giant in the hearts of all associated with this organization. His memory and his impact will live on forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gaëtane, their daughters and his family and friends at this difficult time.”

Turcotte was the longest surviving of Secretariat’s connections. Eddie Sweat, 58, Secretariat’s hard-working groom, died in 1998. Laurin, 88, died in 2000, and breeder-owner Penny Chenery, 95, passed away in 2017. Big Red himself preceded them all, euthanized in 1989 at age 19 after he got laminitis.

Speaking to HRN’s Ron Flatter 50 years after Secretariat’s Triple Crown, Turcotte told of his experiences with Riva Ridge and Secretariat. He also said his life was focused on his wife, Gaëtane, his four daughters and five grandchildren. Click here to listen to their conversation.

The family requested privacy while plans are formalized for a private funeral and suggested contributions be made to the PDJF.

“Ron Turcotte will be forever remembered for guiding Secretariat to Triple Crown glory in 1973,” New York Racing Association president and CEO David O’Rourke said in a written statement. “While his courage as a jockey was on full display to a nation of adoring fans during that electrifying time, it was after he faced a life altering injury that we learned about the true character of Ron Turcotte. By devoting himself to supporting fellow jockeys struggling through similar injuries, Ron Turcotte built a legacy defined by kindness and compassion. NYRA extends our sympathies to Ron Turcotte’s family and friends, and we join the horse racing community in mourning his loss.”