Editing Ron Turcotte

{{Short description|Canadian thoroughbred jockey}}
{{Infobox horseracing personality
|image=Ron Turcotte 2014.jpg
|caption  = Ron Turcotte at the 2014 Belmont Stakes
|name  = Ron Turcotte
|honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|ONB|size=100%}}
|occupation  = [[Jockey]]
|birth_place = [[Drummond, New Brunswick|Drummond]], [[New Brunswick]]<br>[[Canada]]
|birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1941|7|22}}
|death_date  =
|career wins  = 3,032
|race  = [[Breeders' Stakes]] (1962)<br>[[Coronation Futurity Stakes]] (1963)<br>[[Autumn Stakes (Canada)|Toronto Autumn Cup]] (1963)<br>[[Canadian International Stakes]] (1964, 1971)<br>[[Lexington Stakes (Belmont Park)|Lexington Handicap]] (1964, 1974)<br>[[Kentucky Oaks]] (1965)<br>[[Sport Page Breeders' Cup Handicap|Sport Page Handicap]] (1966)<br>[[Palm Beach Handicap]]<br>(1966, 1967, 1969, 1970)<br>[[Suburban Handicap]] (1966)<br>[[Bernard Baruch Handicap]] (1967)<br>[[Tremont Stakes]] (1967)<br>[[National Stallion Stakes]] (1968)<br>[[Bahamas Stakes]] (1969)<br>[[Beldame Stakes]] (1970)<br>[[Diana Handicap]] (1970, 1971, 1976)<br>[[Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap]] (1970, 1979)<br>[[Jockey Club Gold Cup]] (1970)<br>[[Withers Stakes]] (1970)<br>[[Alabama Stakes]] (1971)<br>[[Flash Stakes]] (1971)<br>[[Belmont Futurity Stakes]] (1971, 1972)<br>[[Champagne Stakes (United States)|Champagne Stakes]] (1971)<br>[[Gotham Stakes]] (1971, 1973)<br>[[Laurel Futurity]] (1971, 1972)<br>[[Blue Grass Stakes]] (1972)<br>[[Coaching Club American Oaks]] (1972)<br>[[Florida Derby]] (1972)<br>[[Great American Stakes]] (1972)<br>[[Hopeful Stakes]] (1972)<br>[[Hollywood Derby]] (1972)<br>[[Manhattan Handicap]] (1972)<br>[[Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks|Monmouth Oaks]] (1972)<br>[[Sanford Stakes]] (1972)<br>[[Wood Memorial Stakes]] (1972)<br>[[Brooklyn Handicap]] (1973)<br>[[Excelsior Breeders' Cup Handicap]] (1973)<br>[[Man O' War Stakes]] (1973, 1974)<br>[[Matron Stakes (USA)|Matron Stakes]] (1973)<br>[[Travers Stakes]] (1973)<br>[[Dwyer Stakes]] (1974)<br>[[Red Smith Handicap|Edgemere Handicap]] (1974, 1976)<br>[[Santa Anita Handicap]] (1974)<br>[[Cornhusker Handicap]] (1975)<br>[[Queens County Handicap]] (1975)<br>[[American Derby]] (1976)<br>[[Aqueduct Handicap]] (1976)<br>[[Stymie Stakes|Stymie Handicap]] (1976, 1977)<br>[[Alcibiades Stakes]] (1977)<br>[[Arlington-Washington Breeders' Cup Lassie Stakes|Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes]] (1977)<br>[[Adirondack Breeders' Cup Stakes|Adirondack Stakes]] (1977)<br>[[Cup and Saucer Stakes]] (1977)<br>[[Schuylerville Stakes]] (1977)<br>[[Stars and Stripes Breeders' Cup Turf Handicap|Stars and Stripes Turf Handicap]] (1978)<p>
'''[[American Classic Races|American Classic Race]] wins:'''<br>[[Kentucky Derby]] (1972, 1973)<br>[[Preakness Stakes]] (1965, 1973)<br>[[Belmont Stakes]] (1972, 1973)<br>[[United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|United States Triple Crown]] (1973)</p>
|awards  = [[Woodbine Racetrack|Leading jockey at Woodbine Racetrack]] (1962, 1963)<br>[[Sovereign Award|Canadian Racing's Man-of-the-Year]] (1978)<br>[[Big Sport of Turfdom Award]] (1978)<br>[[George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award]] (1979)<br>[[Avelino Gomez Memorial Award]] (1984)
|honours  = [[New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame]] (1973)<br>[[Order of Canada]] (1974)<br>[[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]] (1979)<br>[[New York Sports Hall of Fame]]<br>[[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]] (1980)<br>[[Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame]] (1980)<br>[[Hawthorne Racing Hall of Fame]] (1986)<br>[[Paul P. Harris|Paul Harris Fellowship]]<br>[[Long Island Sports Hall of Fame]] (1990) 
|horses  = [[Arts and Letters]], [[Crafty Lace]], [[Dahlia (horse)|Dahlia]], [[Damascus (horse)|Damascus]], [[Dark Mirage]], [[Fanfreluche (horse)|Fanfreluche]],<br> [[Fort Marcy (horse)|Fort Marcy]], [[Northern Dancer]], [[Politely]], [[Quadrangle (horse)|Quadrangle]], [[Riva Ridge]], [[Secretariat (horse)|Secretariat]], [[Shuvee]], [[Tom Rolfe]], [[Upper Case]]
|updated = January 16, 2007
}}
'''Ronald Joseph Morel Turcotte''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|ONB}} (born July 22, 1941) is a retired Canadian [[thoroughbred]] [[race horse]] [[jockey]] best known as the rider of [[Secretariat (horse)|Secretariat]], winner of the [[United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|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's [[Northern Dancer]] to his first victory. He gained prominence with his victory aboard [[Tom Rolfe]] in the 1965 [[Preakness Stakes]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dapper Dan Next|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/05/16/archives/dapper-dan-next-hail-to-all-finishes-3d-lucky-debonair-7th-in-9colt.html|work=New York Times|date=16 May 1965 |accessdate=September 16, 2022 |language=en-US |last1=Nichols |first1=Joe }}</ref>

Turcotte soon started working with [[Canadians|Canadian]] trainer [[Lucien Laurin]] at the racetrack in [[Laurel, Maryland]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

In 1972 he rode [[Riva Ridge]] to victory in the [[Kentucky Derby]] and the [[Belmont Stakes]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HoVPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aQUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7152,4467362 ''Ocala Star-Banner'' article on Ron Turcotte – June 23, 1972]</ref>

Turcotte became internationally famous in 1973 when he rode [[Secretariat (horse)|Secretariat]] to win the first Triple Crown in 25 years, with records in each race and Secretariat's phenomenal finish 31 lengths ahead of the field in the Belmont. A photograph of Secretariat winning the Belmont, 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 was the first jockey to win back-to-back Kentucky Derbies since [[Jimmy Winkfield]] in 1902 and the first jockey ever to have won five of six consecutive Triple Crown races (matched in 2015 by [[Victor Espinoza]]).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pedulla |first1=Tom |title=Ron Turcotte: Secretariat's Hall of Fame Rider |url=https://www.americasbestracing.net/the-sport/2024-ron-turcotte-secretariats-hall-fame-rider |website=americasbestracing.net |publisher=TJC Media Ventures |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref>

He was voted the prestigious [[George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award]], which honors a rider whose career and personal conduct exemplifies the very best 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]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Klinkenberg |first1=Marty |title=Ron Turcotte, one of Canada's greatest sportsmen, will forever be linked to Secretariat |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/article-ron-turcotte-jockey-secretariat-triple-crown/ |website=theglobeandmail.com |date=9 June 2023 |publisher=The Globe and Mail Inc. |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref>

Turcotte's career ended on July 13, 1978, when he fell from his horse, Flag of Leyte Gulf, during the 8th race at [[Belmont Park]]. He suffered injuries that rendered him a [[paraplegic]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1988/09/10/turcottes-days-ride-on-hope/02b82518-05c1-494c-a5cd-320ad3a35daf/ |title=Turcotte's Days Ride on Hope |first=Eddie |last=Donnally |date=September 10, 1988 |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |access-date=June 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/07/13/issue.html |title=Turcotte Has Neurosurgery; Jockey Is 'Alert' and 'Stable' |date=July 15, 1978 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=June 1, 2024}}</ref>

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 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jockeyscanada.com/avelino-gomez-memorial-award/ |title=Avelino Gomez Memorial Award |website=jockeyscanada.com |access-date=June 1, 2024}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/ron-turcotte-honoured-with-statue-in-grand-falls-1.3159653 |title=Ron Turcotte honoured with statue in Grand Falls |date=July 20, 2015 |work=[[CBC News]] |access-date=June 16, 2016}}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Honoured Member - Ron Turcotte|url=http://www.sportshall.ca/stories.html?proID=32&catID=&lang=EN|website=www.sportshall.ca|access-date=16 June 2016}}</ref>

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.<ref>L'Heureux, Juliana, [http://www.mainewriter.com/articles/Ron-Turcotte.htm "French-Canadian Jockey a Horse Racing Legend"]</ref>

As 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.<ref>[http://www.pdjf.org/stories.php "Stories: Ron Turcotte"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917145050/http://www.pdjf.org/stories.php |date=2010-09-17 }} - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund website</ref>

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.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/12457200/secretariat-jockey-ron-turcotte-car-accident-canada] - ESPN Horse Racing website</ref> Turcotte sustained fractures to both legs, while his friend suffered minor injuries.<ref>[http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Triple-Crown-winning-jockey-Ron-Turcotte-injured-in-crash-295882841.html] - WKTY website</ref>

==Media==
In the 2010 Disney movie [[Secretariat (film)|''Secretariat'']], Ron Turcotte's role as [[Secretariat (horse)|Secretariat]]'s jockey is played by Otto Thorwarth, a real life jockey himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/07/hollywood-unnecessarily-embellishes-the-real-tale-of-secretariat/|title=Hollywood Unnecessarily Embellishes the Real Tale of Secretariat|publisher=AOL.Original|access-date=2012-05-24|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216050048/http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/07/hollywood-unnecessarily-embellishes-the-real-tale-of-secretariat/|archive-date=2012-02-16}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Wolski">{{cite news|url=https://theprovince.com/sports/Finally+movie+about+Secretariat+jockey/8556419/story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624190232/http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Finally+movie+about+Secretariat+jockey/8556419/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 June 2013|title=Finally, a movie about Secretariat's jockey|last=Wolski|first=Tom|date=20 June 2013|work=[[Vancouver Province]]|access-date=21 June 2013}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* [[Bill Heller|Heller, Bill]]. ''[[The Will to Win: Ron Turcotte's Ride to Glory]]'' (1992) Fifth House Publishers {{ISBN|978-1-895618-08-2}}
* [http://www.secretariat.com/spotlight.htm Ron Turcotte profile at Penny Chenery's Secretariat.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070204125122/http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/jockeys/1980/Ron_Turcotte.asp Ron Turcotte at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/jockey.asp?ID=228 Ron Turcotte at the United States ' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|1535609}}
* [http://www.nfb.ca/film/secretariats_jockey_ron_turcotte ''Secretariat's Jockey - Ron Turcotte''] at the National Film Board of Canada

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turcotte, Ron}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Canadian jockeys]]
[[Category:Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Avelino Gomez Memorial Award winners]]
[[Category:American jockeys]]
[[Category:Eclipse Award winners]]
[[Category:United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of New Brunswick]]
[[Category:Acadian sportspeople]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from New Brunswick]]
[[Category:New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:People from Victoria County, New Brunswick]]
[[Category:People with paraplegia]]
[[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]]