Reflections on Ron Turcotte on his 84th Birthday
The “Red Ball Express,” from "Secretariat's Meadow - The Land, The Family, The Legend"
July 22, 2025
Secretariat’s jockey, Ron Turcotte, turns 84 today. The last surviving member of what was dubbed the Secretariat Team (owner Penny Chenery, trainer Lucien Lauren, exercise riders Charlie Davis and Jimmy Gaffney, and author Bill Nack), Ron is revered today for his courage, talent, intuition, and endurance—and of course, for having piloted the best racehorse in the last 100 years to his matchless Triple Crown victories and records.
What made him so extraordinary?
This tough but gentle Canadian demonstrated time and time again the jockey’s essential qualities that won him 3032 lifetime victories and led him to the National Racing Museum’s Hall of Fame.
- His innate riding skills honed over decades of experience and hard work. This was a key reason Lucien selected him for the Meadow’s great champions, Secretariat and Riva Ridge.
- The steadiness and consistency it took to win over and over and over, thus earning the respect of horsemen everywhere. For example, he didn’t let a loss like the 1973 Wood Memorial shake him, despite national criticism of his judgment. He just got back in the saddle and did his best that time and every time.
- His keen ability to read a race as it unfolded and make split-second decisions on strategy and pacing. He showed this every time he rode, never more than when he piloted Secretariat from last to first in race after race.
- His calm and composed demeanor in the face of pressure, defeat, and rivalry, and, perhaps, the hardest thing--the intense spotlight of great success and fame. Becoming the most famous jockey in the country didn’t faze him. He just kept riding and winning.
- His acute ability to read a horse and discover what it needed and wanted most. In this way, he managed to get the best from each horse he rode. For example, he convinced Lucien that Riva Ridge needed specialized schooling to overcome his innate timidity in competition, and it worked. When it came to a great talent like Secretariat, he showed remarkable intuition in trusting him to set his own pace. The pair were so in tune that he freed Secretariat to maximize his almost magical speed and stamina.
- His courage and perseverance in overcoming the devastating fall in 1978 that sidelined him from riding forever. He remains cheerful to this day, never shying away from the chance to reminisce with his legion of fans.
Ron remains a national treasure in Canada and the entire racing world. The Meadow team always understood that he was key to Secretariat’s success. Today, fans nationwide remember and celebrate one of racing’s greats—a champion of a man.
©Kate Tweedy
