Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte, who rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973, has died at the age of 84.
Turcotte´s family said through his longtime business partner and friend Leonard Lusky that the Canada-born jockey died of natural causes Friday at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick.
He won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes twice each, most notably sweeping the three with Secretariat to end horse racing´s Triple Crown drought that dated to Citation in 1948.
‘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.’
Secretariat´s record time of 2:24 in the Belmont, winning by 31 lengths at a 1 1/2-mile distance, still stands 52 years later.
Turcotte won 3,032 races over a nearly two-decade career that ended in 1978 when he fell off a horse early in a race and suffered injuries that made him paraplegic.
Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund chairman William J. Punk Jr. called Turcotte one of the sport´s greatest champions and ambassadors and praised him for his advocacy and efforts to help fellow fallen riders.
‘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,’ New York Racing Association president and CEO David O’Rourke said.
‘By devoting himself to supporting fellow jockeys struggling through similar injuries, Ron Turcotte built a legacy defined by kindness and compassion.’
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