Hall Of Fame Jockey, Rider Of Famous Secretariat Dies At 84

Ron Turcotte, Hall of Fame jockey and rider of the famous racing horse Secretariat, died Friday at the age of 84.

His family said he passed due to natural causes in his residence in New Brunswick, Canada, his friend and business associate Leonard Lusky told ESPN. Turcotte won the Triple Crown in 1973 by securing victories at the Kentucky Derby Preakness and Belmont Stakes, becoming the first to do so since 1948.

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (NMRHF) also confirmed his passing in a statement obtained by Thoroughbred Daily News.

“Ron was a legendary rider and also an inspiration for all he achieved and overcame during his incredible life,” they said. “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 3,00 wins.”

The museum credited Turcotte with promoting the sport and the horse Secretariat, also called Big Red noting his appeal to fans and kindness toward others. “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,” they concluded. (RELATED: Jockey Allegedly Throws Horse Race, And The Video Is Damning)

He was born in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1941 as one of 12 children, Thoroughbred Daily News reported. He left school and became a lumberjack alongside his father at age 14, kicking off his racing career in 1960. He secured his first victory as a race in 1962 and another in 1963.

While he wasn’t Secretariat’s first rider, their performances in 19 races starting in a 1972 race in Saratoga caught attention at the time. Turcotte rode Secretariat when the horse set it’s record time of 2:24 at Belmont in a victory at 31 lengths, a time that stands 52 years later, according to ESPN.

Turcotte secured back-to-back Kentucky Derby wins in 1972 and 1973, becoming the first jockey to achieve the feat in seventy years, Thoroughbred Daily News reported. Secretariat was named Horse of the Year in 1972 and again in 1973 while Turcotte was its rider.

New York Racing Association President and CEO David O’Rourke issued a statement to ESPN. “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,” he said.

Turcotte’s racing career came to tragic close when he was part of a spill at Belmont Park in 1978, resulting in wounds that left him a paraplegic, according to Thoroughbred Daily News.

“By devoting himself to supporting fellow jockeys struggling through similar injuries, Ron Turcotte built a legacy defined by kindness and compassion,” O’Rouke told ESPN.

“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,” his family said via Lusky

The NMRHF inducted Turcotte in 1979 and he secured victory in 3,032 races.