Ron Turcotte
Life and Career of Secretariat's Triple Crown Winning Jockey
Ronald Morel Turcotte was born on July 22, 1941 in Drummond, New Brunswick, Canada. As one of twelve children in a French-Canadian logging family, Turcotte was introduced early on to the forests of Grand Falls, Canada and northern Maine. Ron followed both his father and grandfather into the profession, but his 5’ 1”, 128-pound frame wasn’t ideal for forest work and he was assigned to the logging horses in the field. The experience of handling different work horses, combined with his father’s influence, taught Turcotte patience and the value of building a trusting relationship between man and horse.
Carrying these lessons with him after discovering that lumberjacking did not meet his financial expectations, Turcotte left home and in May 1960 went to Toronto, where he was hired as a hotwalker for E.P. Taylor’s Windfields Farm. Learning the racing game from the ground up, his work ethic led him to become an exercise rider and eventually an apprentice jockey, winning his first race on April 9, 1962.
From there his career took off, leading him to higher quality mounts such as Crafty Lace, whom Turcotte piloted from the claiming ranks to Canadian Horse of the Year, as well as famed champion Northern Dancer during the colt's juvenile season. Ron’s riding skills and equine acumen earned him the prestigious awards of leading apprentice jockey in 1962 and leading jockey in Canada for 1962 and 1963.
Turcotte moved his tack to New York, and after gaining national attention guiding Tom Rolfe to victory in the 1965 Preakness Stakes, he caught the eye of Meadow Stable trainer and fellow French-Canadian Lucien Laurin, who made Turcotte his “first call” rider.
Turcotte was a significant factor in the stable's storied success in the early 70s. In 1971, Laurin put the jockey up on a timid 2-year-old Meadow Stable colt named Riva Ridge.
"I told him (Lucien) Riva Ridge had the potential to be the best 2-year-old I’ve ever ridden. He just laughed,” Turcotte once said. “But for that to happen, I said I wanted a month to work with him and teach him how to handle running alongside other horses."
Laurin acquiesed and Ron worked tirelessly with Riva, gaining the trust of the nervous but talented colt while teaching him to relax when running in close quarters — the perfect attestation to Turcotte's intuitive horsemanship and the skills he had first learned and honed in the forests of New Brunswick.
The stable's patience paid off handsomely. With Ron aboard during Riva's 1971 racing campaign, they swept the Flash Stakes, Belmont Futurity, Champagne Stakes, Laurel Futurity and the rich Garden State Stakes. Together they established a new earnings record (at the time) for a juvenile and Riva Ridge was named champion 2-year-old colt.
While Riva Ridge's racing style was that of a confirmed front runner, Turcotte provided the perfect touch that enabled Riva to carry his speed in distance races. In 1972 Turcotte followed up his success aboard the colt, winning the Bluegrass Stakes, Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Hollywood Derby. In 1973, the duo continued their winning ways, including a scintillating track-record victory in the Brooklyn Handicap, and culminating with Riva Ridge earning Champion Older Horse honors as a 4-year-old.
In 1972, after Turcotte had guided Riva Ridge to dual classic wins, Meadow Stable offered him the mount on a strapping chestnut son of Bold Ruler named Secretariat. And it was with “Big Red” that Turcotte rode history into legend. Beginning in Secretariat's juvenile season, Turcotte guided the budding equine superstar to victories in the Sanford, Hopeful, Belmont Futurity, Laurel Futurity and Garden State Stakes, resulting in Secretariat being named Horse of the Year — an unprecedented honor for a 2-year-old.
Amazingly, they would transcend that accomplishment, embarking on a 3-year-old campaign that still inspires awe in racing fans' hearts. Following victories with Turcotte aboard in the Bay Shore and Gotham Stakes, as well as an inexplicable third-place finish in the Wood Memorial (later discovered to be the result of a painful mouth abscess), Secretariat arrived at Churchill Downs as the Kentucky Derby favorite. In the course of American racing, few jockeys ever have had the opportunity to repeat wins in a classic race while riding for the same trainer and owner, but Turcotte was the exception.
In the May 5, 1973 Kentucky Derby, Turcotte patiently brought Secretariat from last to first, storming to a 2 ½ length win over rival Sham while establishing a new track record of 1:59 2/5 for the 1 ¼ mile distance. Two weeks later, Turcotte piloted Secretariat to victory in the Preakness Stakes, this time masterfully sending the colt to the lead on the first turn and never relenquishing it, resulting in another track record triumph. Three weeks after that, Secretariat entered the Belmont Stakes on the brink of racing history. The race unfolded with Turcotte challenging Laffit Pincay Jr. aboard Sham for the lead, with both horses engaged in a torrid pace that only Secretariat could sustain. Amidst the backdrop of the roar of the frenzied crowd and track announcer Chick Anderson's famous call, the Meadow Stable colt took command around the turn "moving like a tremendous machine" and widening the lead down the stretch with each powerful rhythmic stride. With the eyes of the nation watching, Turcotte rode Secretariat into racing legend, crossing the finish line in the world record time of 2:24 for the 1 ½ mile distance to complete their sweep of the Triple Crown.
Secretariat's sensational victories in the trio of races remain the ultimate standard for racing excellence, and more than a half century later his record-breaking times in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes still stand. The vision of Turcotte glancing at the infield electronic clock as they near the Belmont finish 31 lengths in front of the rest of the field remains the iconic image in Secretariat’s legacy and a pinnacle performance as one of the single greatest moments in all of sports.
The rest of that summer and fall saw Secretariat and Turcotte furthering their successes together, including two additional track record wins in the inaugural Marlboro Cup and the Man o' War Stakes, the latter held on turf.
Following that golden season of Secretariat, Turcotte continued as one of the top riders in New York, and his reputation as a talented and principled jockey flourished. In a sport that in early 70s was the target of illegal betting schemes, fixed races and other unsavory activities, Turcotte was considered one of the "Incorruptibles” — three honest jockeys (along with Darrel McHargue and British journeyman Michael Hole) who could not be bought into rigging races. It was an impressive distinction that came to light in 1980 during the trial of mafia member-turned-state witness Anthony Ciulla, who testified to fixing races by bribing riders in New York’s jockey colony. The moniker assigned to Turcotte also bears testament to his unimpeachable integrity and professionalism that was recognized within the racing community throughout his racing days and beyond.
Turcotte’s stellar career came to an abrupt and catastrophic end on July 13, 1978 in an allowance race at Belmont Park aboard Flag of Leyte Gulf, who clipped heels with another horse and fell. While it seemed a routine spill to spectators in the stands, Turcotte realized the instant he hit the ground that something had gone horribly wrong. His spine had been broken, rendering the downed jockey a paraplegic for the rest of his life.
In a career cut short by injury, Turcotte’s riding resume remains enviable: leading jockey nationwide in stakes winners two years in a row; one of only three jockeys since Jimmy Winkfield in 1902 to win two consecutive Kentucky Derbys; George Woolf Memorial Award winner and the first jockey ever to be appointed a member of the prestigious Order of Canada. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979 and the following year gained entry to both the New Brunswick and Canadian Sport Hall of Fame rosters. With his racing days over, Turcotte faced new challenges and new goals, but again he applied the lessons of his life to his future and persevered.
Following his racing career, Turcotte became the voice of disabled riders worldwide – a cause he devotedly embraced, making appearances at racetracks and charitable functions nationwide in support of other disabled members of his profession. In 1979, Turcotte and his family moved back to his hometown of Drummond, the source of his roots. Three years earlier in nearby Grand Falls, he had been recognized with a bridge named in his honor and in 2015 the town proudly unveiled a bronze monument celebrating his racing career. He remained a beloved member of his community until his passing on August 22, 2025.
Turcotte will forever be remembered as a consumate horseman and a legendary jockey. On top of that, he rode Secretariat and it doesn’t get better than that.
*******************************************************************
STATISTICS and CLASSIC WINS
Riding Career: 1961-1978
Mounts: 20,281 Wins: 3,032 Earnings $28,606,490
(2) Kentucky Derby - Riva Ridge (1972); Secretariat (1973)
(2) Preakness Stakes - Tom Rolfe (1965); Secretariat (1973)
(2) Belmont Stakes - Riva Ridge (1972); Secretariat (1973)
OTHER SIGNIFICANT MOUNTS
Arts and Letters, Crafty Lace, Dahlia, Damascus, Dark Mirage, Fanfreluche, Fort Marcy, Northern Dancer, Politely, Quadrangle, Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Shuvee, Upper Case
ACHIEVEMENTS
United States Triple Crown (1973)
Leading jockey at Woodbine Racetrack (1962, 1963)
Canadian Racing's Man-of-the-Year (1978)
Big Sport of Turfdom Award (1978)
George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (1979)
Avelino Gomez Memorial Award (1984)
New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame (1973)
Order of Canada (1974)
National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (1979)
New York Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1980)
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1980)
Hawthorne Racing Hall of Fame (1986)
Paul Harris Fellowship
Long Island Sports Hall of Fame (1990)
Ron Turcotte's personal stakes-winning saddle, worn aboard Secretariat in the 1973 Triple Crown. Click Here to Learn More
STAKES RACE WINS
Breeders' Stakes (1962)
Coronation Futurity Stakes (1963)
Toronto Autumn Cup (1963)
Canadian International Stakes (1964, 1971)
Lexington Handicap (1964, 1974)
Kentucky Oaks (1965)
Sport Page Handicap (1966)
Palm Beach Handicap (1966, 1967, 1969, 1979)
Suburban Handicap (1966)
Bernard Baruch Handicap (1967)
Tremont Stakes (1967)
National Stallion Stakes (1968)
Bahamas Stakes (1969)
Beldame Stakes (1970)
Diana Handicap (1970, 1971, 1976)
Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (1970)
Jockey Club Gold Cup (1970)
Withers Stakes (1970)
Alabama Stakes (1971)
Flash Stakes (1971)
Garden State Stakes (1971, 1972)
Belmont Futurity Stakes (1971, 1972)
Champagne Stakes (1971)
Gotham Stakes (1971, 1973)
Laurel Futurity (1971, 1972)
Blue Grass Stakes (1972)
Coaching Club American Oaks (1972)
Florida Derby (1972)
Great American Stakes (1972)
Hopeful Stakes (1972)
Hollywood Derby (1972)
Manhattan Handicap (1972)
Monmouth Oaks (1972)
Sanford Stakes (1972)
Wood Memorial Stakes (1972)
Bay Shore Stakes (1973, 1975)
Brooklyn Handicap (1973)
Excelsior Breeders’ Cup Handicap (1973)
Man O' War Stakes (1973, 1974)
Matron Stakes (1973)
Travers Stakes (1973)
Dwyer Stakes (1974)
Edgemere Handicap (1974, 1976)
Santa Anita Handicap (1974)
Cornhusker Handicap (1975)
Queens County Handicap (1975)
American Derby (1976)
Aqueduct Handicap (1976)
Stymie Handicap (1976, 1977)
Tidal Handicap (1976)
Alcibiades Stakes (1977)
Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes (1977)
Adirondack Stakes (1977)
Cup and Saucer Stakes (1977)
Schuylerville Stakes (1977)
Sorority Stakes (1977)
Ruthless Stakes (1978)
Stars and Stripes Turf Handicap (1978)
View this special section recognizing Ron Turcotte’s passing with messages and remembrances from his fellow riders and friends.
Enjoy this public link to the film “Secretariat’s Jockey: Ron Turcotte" featuring a rare insider's glimpse of the legendary rider.
Read Ron's unique insights regarding a variety of topics, events and racing experiences in the words that only he could share.
See the current availability of pieces hand-signed prior to his passing, including the Ron Turcotte Collection of his own personal items.