Secretariat's jockey Ron Turcotte remembers Triple Crown winner who 'could fly' on 50th anniversary


Save Story

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

It's been 50 years since Secretariat and jockey Ron Turcotte crushed the field by 31 lengths to win the Belmont Stakes and become horse racing's Triple Crown champion in 1973. The colt nicknamed "Big Red" and his Canadian-born rider were a formidable duo on the track and shared a special relationship off it. Turcotte says "it was love at first sight and first ride" when they got together. Now 81, Turcotte is the last surviving member of Secretariat's team. He's been a paraplegic since a riding accident at Belmont Park in 1978. He lives in his tiny Canadian hometown, where a bronze statue of him and Secretariat was installed.

Most recent Racing stories

Related topics

Beth Harris

    SPORTS NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
    Newsletter Signup

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button