SECRETARIAT, arguably the greatest racehorse of all time, passed away in 1989.
36 years later the jockey of BIG RED– Ron Turcotte has moved into the big Winner’s Circle in-the-sky.
One cannot celebrate the greatness that was SECRETARIAT without recognizing Turcotte as a vital member of that dynamic Triple Crown winning team.
Watching replays of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes in 1973 it appears as if Turcotte was merely a passenger taken for a wonderful ride by the gleaming chestnut colt.
But Penny Chenery, the owner of SECRETARIAT, knew better. “Ron knew the horse, he knew the tracks and, as he said, good jockeys have clocks in their head,” Chenery had once said.
One of the great athletic performances in any sport was the breathtaking 31-length, tour de force Victory by SECRETARIAT in the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes.
That race and its subsequent result was due to the careful planning by trainer Lucien Laurin and Turcotte.
They never took their eye off the grand prize of the Triple Crown, leading to measured Wins in the Derby and Preakness.
“Ron and Lucien had discussed the pace of the first two races and wanted him to Win, but not too much, to save something,” Chenery said.
Turcotte said he briefly used his whip in the Derby only to prompt SECRETARIAT to change leads for the stretch run. “He did, and I just put my whip away and galloped to the wire,” he recalled.
Fans watched the Belmont with some anxiety as the early duel between SECRETARIAT and SHAM produced sizzling fractions.
Could Big Red possibly withstand such a wicked pace for a mile and a half? He was flesh and blood, after all.
While others fretted Turcotte did not; “I guess I was the coolest one of them all because I knew what I had under me,” he said in regard to that race.
It wasn’t long before SHAM dropped anchor, leaving SECRETARIAT and Turcotte to race only against the clock and into history.
“Ron and the horse seemed to say, ‘OK, now we’ll show you what we can do when we’re not under wraps,” Chenery said.
With SECRETARIAT “moving like a tremendous machine,” Turcotte peeked for challengers. They were rapidly receding into the distance.
His only thought was to make sure he did not get in the way of the horse.
“You just try to sit still, as if he was running alone, you know, like he’s running in the field or running alone with nothing on him,” Turcotte said. “Horses always run better free.”
The final time of 2:24 remains a record that cannot be touched. The final margin of 31 lengths will forever cement the Belmont as one of the most dominant performances by any athlete — human or equine.
“I still get goose pimples when I see the race,” said Turcotte. Rest assured we all do Ron.
Be sure to take your old friend for a nice easy gallop.
