Ron Turcotte

Ron Turcotte
Ron Turcotte
	Ron Turcotte at the 2014 Belmont Stakes
Occupation	Jockey
Born	July 22, 1941 (age 83); Drummond, New Brunswick; Canada
Career wins	3,032
Major racing 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, 1970); 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, 1979); Jockey Club Gold Cup (1970); Withers Stakes (1970); Alabama Stakes (1971); Flash Stakes (1971); 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); 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); Alcibiades Stakes (1977); Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes (1977); Adirondack Stakes (1977); Cup and Saucer Stakes (1977); Schuylerville Stakes (1977); Stars and Stripes Turf Handicap (1978) American Classic Race wins:; Kentucky Derby (1972, 1973); Preakness Stakes (1965, 1973); Belmont Stakes (1972, 1973); United States Triple Crown (1973)
Racing awards
	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)
Honours
	New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame (1973); Order of Canada (1974); National Museum of Racing and 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)
Significant horses
	Arts and Letters, Crafty Lace, Dahlia, Damascus, Dark Mirage, Fanfreluche,; Fort Marcy, Northern Dancer, Politely, Quadrangle, Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Shuvee, Tom Rolfe, Upper Case

Ronald Joseph Morel "Ronnie" Turcotte, CM ONB (born July 22, 1941) is a retired Canadian thoroughbred race horse jockey best known as the rider of Secretariat, winner of the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973.

Career

Turcotte began his career in Toronto as a hot walker for E. P. Taylor's Windfields Farm in 1960, but he was soon wearing the silks and winning races. As an apprentice jockey he rode Windfields' Northern Dancer to his first victory. He gained prominence with his victory aboard Tom Rolfe in the 1965 Preakness Stakes.^[1]

Turcotte soon started working with Canadian trainer Lucien Laurin at the racetrack in Laurel, Maryland.^{[citation needed]}

In 1972 he rode Riva Ridge to victory in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.^[2]

Turcotte became internationally famous in 1973 when he rode Secretariat to win the first Triple Crown in 25 years, with records for each race, and the phenomenal finish of Secretariat 31 lengths ahead of the field in the Belmont. A photograph of Secretariat winning the race, with Turcotte looking over his shoulder at the pack, far behind, became famous. Turcotte was North America's leading stakes-winning jockey in 1972 and 1973. He became the first jockey to win back-to-back Kentucky Derbies since Jimmy Winkfield in 1902 and was the first jockey to ever have won five of six consecutive Triple Crown races (matched in 2015 by Victor Espinoza).^[3]

He was voted the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award that honors a rider whose career and personal conduct exemplifies the very best example of participants in the sport of thoroughbred racing. He is the first person from Thoroughbred racing ever to be appointed a member of the Order of Canada.^[4]

Turcotte's career ended on July 13, 1978. He fell from his horse, Flag of Leyte Gulf, during the 8th race at Belmont Park. He suffered injuries that resulted in his being a paraplegic.^[5]^[6]

He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1979. He was voted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame and in 1980 was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. In 1984 he became the first ever recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award given annually to the jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country, who has made significant contributions to the sport.^[7]

In 2015, a statue of Secretariat and Turcotte crossing the finish line at the Belmont Stakes was unveiled in Turcotte's hometown of Grand Falls, New Brunswick.^[8]

Personal life

Born in Drummond, New Brunswick, Turcotte was one of 12 children. He left school at age 14 to work with his father as a lumberjack, then at age 18, headed to Toronto looking for construction work.^[9]

Turcotte now lives in his home town of Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife Gaëtane and their four daughters. He is an advocate for those with disabilities and helps to raise funds for disability programs.^[10]

A well-known survivor of an on-track accident, Turcotte makes appearances at racetracks to raise funds and awareness of the assistance that the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) provides to fellow injured riders.^[11]

Turcotte was hospitalized on March 9, 2015, following a single-vehicle accident in New Brunswick. The van he was driving flipped after hitting a snowbank. Turcotte and a friend were both injured in the accident.^[12] Turcotte sustained fractures to both legs, while his friend suffered minor injuries.^[13]

Media

In the 2010 Disney movie Secretariat, Ron Turcotte's role as Secretariat's jockey is played by Otto Thorwarth, a real life jockey himself.^[14]

Directed by Phil Comeau, a National Film Board of Canada documentary feature film on Ron Turcotte's life and career, Secretariat's Jockey, Ron Turcotte, had its world premiere in Louisville, Kentucky, in May 2013.^[15]

Notes

^ Nichols, Joe (16 May 1965). "Dapper Dan Next". New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
^ Ocala Star-Banner article on Ron Turcotte – June 23, 1972
^ Pedulla, Tom. "Ron Turcotte: Secretariat's Hall of Fame Rider". americasbestracing.net. TJC Media Ventures. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
^ Klinkenberg, Marty. "Ron Turcotte, one of Canada's greatest sportsmen, will forever be linked to Secretariat". theglobeandmail.com. The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
^ Donnally, Eddie (September 10, 1988). "Turcotte's Days Ride on Hope". Washington Post. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
^ "Turcotte Has Neurosurgery; Jockey Is 'Alert' and 'Stable'". The New York Times. July 15, 1978. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
^ "Avelino Gomez Memorial Award". jockeyscanada.com. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
^ "Ron Turcotte honoured with statue in Grand Falls". CBC News. July 20, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
^ "Honoured Member - Ron Turcotte". www.sportshall.ca. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
^ L'Heureux, Juliana, "French-Canadian Jockey a Horse Racing Legend"
^ "Stories: Ron Turcotte" Archived 2010-09-17 at the Wayback Machine - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund website
^ [1] - ESPN Horse Racing website
^ [2] - WKTY website
^ "Hollywood Unnecessarily Embellishes the Real Tale of Secretariat". AOL.Original. Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
^ Wolski, Tom (20 June 2013). "Finally, a movie about Secretariat's jockey". Vancouver Province. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.

References

External links

Ron Turcotte at IMDb
Secretariat's Jockey - Ron Turcotte at the National Film Board of Canada

[1] Nichols, Joe (16 May 1965). "Dapper Dan Next". New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2022.

[2] Ocala Star-Banner article on Ron Turcotte – June 23, 1972

[3] Pedulla, Tom. "Ron Turcotte: Secretariat's Hall of Fame Rider". americasbestracing.net. TJC Media Ventures. Retrieved 5 May 2024.

[4] Klinkenberg, Marty. "Ron Turcotte, one of Canada's greatest sportsmen, will forever be linked to Secretariat". theglobeandmail.com. The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved 5 May 2024.

[5] Donnally, Eddie (September 10, 1988). "Turcotte's Days Ride on Hope". Washington Post. Retrieved June 1, 2024.

[6] "Turcotte Has Neurosurgery; Jockey Is 'Alert' and 'Stable'". The New York Times. July 15, 1978. Retrieved June 1, 2024.

[7] "Avelino Gomez Memorial Award". jockeyscanada.com. Retrieved June 1, 2024.

[8] "Ron Turcotte honoured with statue in Grand Falls". CBC News. July 20, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2016.

[9] "Honoured Member - Ron Turcotte". www.sportshall.ca. Retrieved 16 June 2016.

[10] L'Heureux, Juliana, "French-Canadian Jockey a Horse Racing Legend"

[11] "Stories: Ron Turcotte" Archived 2010-09-17 at the Wayback Machine - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund website

[12] [1] - ESPN Horse Racing website

[13] [2] - WKTY website

[14] "Hollywood Unnecessarily Embellishes the Real Tale of Secretariat". AOL.Original. Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2012-05-24.

[Wolski-15] Wolski, Tom (20 June 2013). "Finally, a movie about Secretariat's jockey". Vancouver Province. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.

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