Ron Turcotte, Secretariat's Primary Jockey, Dies at 84

The New Brunswick native ran three of the most famous races in history.

Ron Turcotte (front) steered Secretariat to Triple Crown immortality in 1973. / The Courier-Journal-Imagn Images

Ron Turcotte, Secretariat's jockey for all but three of his career races, and all three of his Triple Crown race wins, died Friday, his family said via business partner Leonard Lusky. He was 84.

“Ron was a great jockey and an inspiration to so many, both within and outside the racing world,” Lusky said. “While he reached the pinnacle of success in his vocation, it was his abundance of faith, courage, and kindness that was the true measure of his greatness.”

Born in Drummond, New Brunswick, Turcotte established himself in the racing world by winning the 1965 Preakness Stakes as a 23-year-old aboard Tom Rolfe. Two more Triple Crown race wins followed in 1972 aboard Riva Ridge before the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself in 1973.

“He was the type of horse that you’ll never see again,” Turcotte told Beth Harris of the AP in 2023. “He was doing something that you’ve never seen before and will probably never see again.”

All told, Turcotte won 14 races riding Secretariat, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. The last, which Secretariat won by 31 lengths, is widely considered the greatest American race ever run.

Paralyzed in a 1978 fall during a race, Turcotte was inducted into his sport's Hall of Fame a year later.

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