Ron Turcotte, Jockey Who Rode Secretariat to Triple Crown, Dies at 84: 'His Impact Will Live on Forever' Brenton BlanchetAugust 23, 2025 at 10:21 PM Jerry Cooke/Sports Illustrated via Getty Ron Turcotte sits atop Secretariat at Churchill Downs on May 6, 1973 Ron Turcotte, the jockey who rode Secreta...
- - Ron Turcotte, Jockey Who Rode Secretariat to Triple Crown, Dies at 84: 'His Impact Will Live on Forever'
Brenton BlanchetAugust 23, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Jerry Cooke/Sports Illustrated via Getty
Ron Turcotte sits atop Secretariat at Churchill Downs on May 6, 1973 -
Ron Turcotte, the jockey who rode Secretariat to a Triple Crown in 1973 and earned his place in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, died on Aug. 22 at age 84
A longtime representative for the jockey announced the news of his death, decades after Turcotte etched his name into history books and Belmont Stakes' record books
"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
Ron Turcotte, the legendary jockey who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979 for his achievements with Secretariat, has died. He was 84.
Turcotte's family announced his death on Friday, Aug. 22, via his longtime representative Leonard Lusky. In a statement shared via Secretariat.com and by the , Lusky called Turcotte "a great jockey and an inspiration to so many, both within and outside the racing world," and remembered him for his "abundance of faith, courage and kindness that was the true measure of his greatness."
Turcotte famously rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973, sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes to end a 25-year drought for the feat. It marked the first Triple Crown victory since Citation's run in 1948.
"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," the Turcotte family said in a statement, shared by Secretariat.com.
The Canadian jockey died of natural causes at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick, on Friday, per AP.
Jerry Cooke/Corbis via Getty
Ron Turcotte, Triple Crown winner, rides Secretariat at the 1973 Kentucky Derby
Turcotte, a former lumberjack who began his racing career in 1961, won 3,023 races over the course of nearly two decades before his career ended in 1978 at the age of 36. Perhaps his most notable race was when he rode Secretariat to a still-record time of 2:24 in Belmont in 1972, winning by the largest margin of victory in the race's history at 31 lengths.
"When it came to running, he could fly," Turcotte previously told AP of the famed horse, who died in 1989 after being euthanized. "He was everything. Those memories never leave you."
In July 1978, the jockey's career came to an end at Belmont Park when he fell from a horse and sustained injuries that made him paraplegic, per Secretariat.com. In the years that followed, Turcotte earned his place in six different sporting halls of fame, including the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.
Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund Chairman William Punk Jr. remembered Turcotte as one of the nonprofit organization's "greatest champions and ambassadors."
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"Ron's tireless advocacy and efforts on behalf of his fellow fallen rider is beyond measure. Although he is appropriately recognized as a member of the Racing Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the saddle, his contributions to the PDJF established him as a giant in the hearts of all associated with this organization," he said in a statement. "His memory and his impact will live on forever."
Turcotte was the last surviving member of Secretariat's team.
AP Photo/Stephen MacGillivray, File
Ron Turcotte poses next to a statue of himself and Secretariat in New Brunswick, Canada, in 2023
Several jockeys paid their respects to Turcotte on Friday at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York, and the Kentucky Derby also shared a message of remembrance on social media. "His legacy lives on beneath the Twin Spires and in the hearts of racing fans everywhere," the message said.
Turcotte is survived by Gaetane, his wife of nearly 60 years, and their four daughters: Lynn, Ann, Tina and Tammy.
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