Legendary horse jockey, who rode Secretariat to Triple Crown, dies at 84

Famous horse jockey Ron Turcotte, who rose to fame by riding the legendary race horse Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown, died on Friday at his home in Canada at the age of 84-years-old.

Turcotte's long-time friend, Leonard Lusky, confirmed the jockey's death in a statement from Turcotte's family, who said he died of natural causes at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick. 

"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."

The jockey was inducted into the racing Hall of Fame in 1979 and won more than 3,000 races during his iconic career. He won all three of the Triple Crown's races twice, including the time he won all three consecutively with Secretariat, per Fox News. Turcotte's and Secretariat's record in the Belmont Stakes still stands at 2 minutes and 24 seconds.

"The world may remember Ron as the famous jockey of Secretariat, but to us he was a wonderful husband, a loving father, grandfather, and a great horseman." the Turcotte family said.

Turcotte was the last surviving member of Secretariat’s Triple Crown team: Secretariat died in 1989, groom Eddie Sweat died in 1998, trainer Lucien Laurin in 2000 and owner Penny Chenery in 2017, according to the Associated Press.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.