Ron Turcotte is perhaps the most well known Thoroughbred jockey amongst people who are not followers of the sport thanks to his most famous mount, Secretariat, whose career was made into a major motion picture starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich. Otto Thorwarth played Turcotte in the film which grossed over $60 million.
Born in New Brunswick, Turcotte was one of 12 children and often credits his early years as a lumberjack for his strength as a jockey. Turcotte began his horse racing career at EP Taylor’s Windfields Farm as a hot walker in 1959 but quickly rose to apprentice jockey level during which time he rode the incomparable Northern Dancer to his first win. He was the top rider in Canada in 1962 and 1963 and then moved to the US to further his career.
In 1965 he won the Preakness with Tom Rolfe and five years later met Queen Elizabeth ll after he captured the Manitoba Centennial Derby with the Canadian filly Fanfreluche.
Turcotte worked for Quebec born trainer Lucien Laurin who not only trained Secretariat but also his stablemate Riva Ridge who won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972. Turcotte won back to back Kentucky Derbies and Belmonts as Secretariat graced their winner’s circles in 1973 in addition to that of the Preakness to give him the Triple Crown title.
Turcotte became the first jockey in 70 years to win back to back Kentucky Derbies and is the only one to have recorded wins in five straight Triple Crown races. Turcotte’s career ended suddenly when he fell off his horse at the start of a race at Belmont Park in 1978 which left him a paraplegic. Since that time he’s become a strong and vocal advocate for injured and disabled riders.
Turcotte was the first person from his sport awarded the Order of Canada. Other honours include inductions to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the New York Sports Hall of Fame, the Long Island Sports Hall of Fame, the Hawthorne Racing Hall of Fame, the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, the Paul Harris Fellowship Award, the George Woolf Memorial Award and the Sovereign Award as horse racing’s man of the year in 1978. He was the inaugural winner of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award.
A documentary about Turcotte’s life, called Secretariat’s jockey Ron Turcotte, was produced by the National Film Board of Canada and premiered in 2013.
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