If you live in or are from New Brunswick, if you’re Canadian, if you like horse racing, the NFB has a film for you: Secretariat’s Jockey: Ron Turcotte (2013). In 1973 Mr. Turcotte, already well known in racing circles, became famous world wide as the man who rode Secretariat.
The Triple Crown has been won only eleven times since it was established as the pinnacle of Thoroughbred racing in America. Never has a horse won it in such jaw-dropping style as Secretariat did. And Ron Turcotte was on his back for all three rides.
As a young man in northern New Brunswick, Mr. Turcotte worked in the woods with his father and brothers. With a downturn in that industry, he moved to Toronto in search of a job. He had worked with horses at home and knew them well, and he was a small man.
Toronto to Kentucky
Still, working as a jockey was a suggestion that came from someone else. He tried it, liked it and found he was good at it. Eventually he went to the big leagues – Kentucky. There he met Penny Chenery and her horses and the rest is wonderful horse racing history.
His riding career ended horribly in 1978 with a race accident that paralyzed him. But he stayed associated with horse racing, not as the trainer that many said he would have been so good at, but as an ambassador for the sport and for jockeys. He knows firsthand the physical, psychological and financial costs of such a risky occupation. He also knows the hard work of training, and the thrill of race days and wins.
Ron Turcotte takes us to the races
In the film, Mr. Turcotte takes us on a road trip to Kentucky. There we meet the other two jockeys of those five years of three Triple Crowns, Jean Cruguet (Seattle Slew 1977) and Steve Cauthen (1978 Affirmed). We go with him to Churchill Downs on Derby Day 2012. We go on to Maryland, where Triple Crown talk is in the air when I’ll Have Another wins the second leg. Then to New York and the dashing of hopes when I’ll Have Another is pulled from the Belmont Stakes due to the threat of laminitis. The Triple Crown wait continues, a much longer dry stretch than even the 25 year one after Citation in 1948 that Secretariat and Ron Turcotte broke.
We go back home to Grand Falls NB with him, driving over the magnificent falls on the Ron Turcotte Bridge. We meet his family and friends and go to his home. Seeing the photographs, trophies and statues in his living room, I thought of the house of a man similar in many ways to Mr. Turcotte.
Dale Dufty, harness racing driver
It is a small house near St. Thomas where the late Dale Dufty, a retired harness racing driver, lived. I had the good fortune of buying a saddle from him. Good fortune both because I really like the saddle and because I got to meet Mr. Dufty. His house was filled with awards, photos and memorabilia of his favourite horses. He repaired and made tack and racing harness, usually while watching races on a specialty channel. Like Mr. Turcotte, his love of horses and the sport of horse racing never disappeared. He too was happy to share his great knowledge of horses and tracks, owners and fellow drivers, great risks and great joy.
If you want to learn more about Mr. Turcotte, he and Bill Heller wrote his life story in The Will to Win. It is an excellent read. Grab it if you see it for sale anywhere.
