The National Thoroughbred Racing Association
50th Anniversary Celebration of Secretariat’s Triple Crown National Media Teleconference
June 7, 2023
1:00 PM ET
Operator: Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the 50th anniversary celebration of Secretariat’s Triple Crown national media teleconference call. At this time, all lines are in a listen-only mode. Following the presentation, we will conduct a question-and-answer session.
If at any time during this call you require immediate assistance, please press * 0 for the operator. This call is being recorded on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. I would now like to turn the conference over to Jim Gluckson. Please go ahead, sir.
Jim Gluckson: Michelle (ph), thank you very much, and good day, everyone. And welcome to today’s National Thoroughbred Racing Association media teleconference, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown campaign of 1973.
We have with us today our very special guest, Ron Turcotte, Secretariat’s jockey for his remarkable triumphs in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. Of course, heading into this week’s Belmont Stakes, we remember on June 9, 1973, Secretariat became racing’s 9th Triple Crown winner, ending a drought of 25 years, back to Citation, the previous Triple Crown winner, in 1948.
Secretariat’s 31-length victory was one of the greatest moments of all time in sports history, not just racing. And of course, with him appearing on the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated, he captivated a nation. I’d like to say that, before we begin, this conversation is being recorded. And a transcript will be available on ntra.com within 24 hours.
Just getting back to Ron and his career here — of course, we know that Ron had won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1972, aboard Meadow Stable’s Riva Ridge, and came back in ’73, of course, with greater promise, riding the 1972 Horse of the Year. So let’s bring in Ron to our conversation. Ron, Jim Gluckson here. How are you doing today?
Ron Turcotte: I’m doing fine. Thank you, Jim.
Jim Gluckson: Thank you, Ron. Thanks for joining us. Obviously, this has been quite a season for you, with a number of media requests for your time during the past several months. And we just wanted to start by saying over the — looking back now, 50 years later, what is still your lasting memory of this tremendous Triple Crown campaign?
Ron Turcotte: Well, it doesn’t seem that long. I get to see it, but I often do on YouTube, at times. I watch something and it pops up and I have a look at it again. And so, it’s a refresher. And, like I said it doesn’t feel that long.
Jim Gluckson: Doesn’t feel that long — well, it — when it’s great and it’s memorable like this, it shouldn’t feel that long. I just wanted to go through each of the races with you briefly, before we open the questions for the media. I want to start by saying that you came into this Triple Crown season, in 1973, with a lot of great hopes, of course, riding the (1972) Horse of the Year, too.
And he was syndicated for $6 million. Of course, prior to that Derby, he (Secretariat) was defeated by stable-mate Angle Lite in the Wood Memorial in New York. We know that — there was an abscess problem in his mouth. And that it cleared up before the race. But talk about preparations coming into the Derby and the race itself, first.
Ron Turcotte: Okay. After his defeat in the Wood Memorial, as I found out what was wrong, I had to work him accordingly to have him not at his peak, but have him ready to run the mile and a quarter pretty good, to win the Derby. And when I rode him, I rode him very conservatively. I didn’t ask him much at all the first 3/8 of a mile.
And then, when I was a little ways into the turn, there was an open lane and a trip to him, and rolled my hand a little bit and I was right through that hole and I kept passing horses that we were on the first turn. And then, as we turned on the back side, I took him in the clear. And, like I said, I didn’t want to use him too much, because of that defeat and that abscess and pretty sure that — can I get the door, close the door?
(Momentary Pause)
Ron Turcotte: And I was picking up horses like crazy. I mean, I just couldn’t believe he could do it that easy. And so I let him pick up the horses. Really didn’t ask him to run until I hit the turn, about a 3/8 full. I start — I talked to him once, and then he — we just went around that turn and was running through the stretch and I saw that I had a lot of horse under him.
He wasn’t riding (inaudible) yet, so I had to hook him early. And when I did, I tapped my horse to make him switch lead. And the race was over from there.
Jim Gluckson: Very good. I mean, this is negative split all the way around.
Ron Turcotte: Yeah, he was very easy.
Jim Gluckson: Okay. This (Derby) is a track record, of course. Ron, let’s move over now, to the Preakness, which is a different kind of race for you, where you went to the lead much earlier, obviously, than in the Derby. What — let you talk about plans and strategy in the Preakness stakes.
Ron Turcotte: Well, I was very confident after I won the Derby. Somebody asked me what I thought about the Preakness and the Belmont. And I told them that I thought it was downhill from there on. I thought that we had the worst race that — well, the hardest race we had to win.
Now, when we came to the Preakness, I came out of the gate very good. And he — I just let him get his feet under him, but when I saw them — the other horses were really dashing for the first turn, especially the speed horse on the outside, Ecole Etage. And when he got to the rail, halfway around the turn, he took a hold of his horse.
As I was dropping in, I could see (inaudible) bringing the horses in (inaudible). I thought, well, I better not get inside. And so I wheel him out and pass every horse around the first turn. It’s a noble horse, but not with Secretariat. So I let him run and take the lead and take control of the race about the ¾ pole.
And the rest of the race, he was running very easy. I think he tried to catch me around the 3/8 pole. He thought he had me. But I hadn’t turned him loose yet. And I won the race that way. He just galloped the race.
Jim Gluckson: Very good. Of course, years later, that race was declared a track record. It took a while, but it did get done for you there. And now, of course, the big one, the final one, the Belmont Stakes — just again, take us through that race, take us through his prep — first his preparation during the week, your confidence level. And then, describe the race itself, please.
Ron Turcotte: Well, I thought he might need a race in between (the Preakness and the Belmont) and I told (Secretariat’s trainer) Lucien (Lauren) I mentioned a solution, which is run him in the Jersey Derby. And he told me not to mention that again, that he didn’t intend to run in the Jersey Derby. I said, well, he’ll be working faster than they’ll run the race, and I ain’t going to get nothing for it. You ain’t going to pick up any money.
Lucien says, you just tend to your business and let me do the managing. So I said, okay. So I started working him pretty good to get him real tight for the race. I wanted him to be — peak at the Belmont. And we were darn near his peak at the Belmont. When you work at a mile and a quarter as fast as you ran the Derby, that was — that set him up for the Belmont.
Besides that, — mile and a half and he done it very nicely. So after that, I was very confident that he was doing — we were fit to getting beat in the Derby.
Jim Gluckson: And so, take us through the Belmont Stakes, your strategy, and how he broke and just take us through the race a little bit at a time.
Ron Turcotte: Previously, I thought I was going to take the lead leaving the gate. But again, then there’s getting his feet well under him and getting in stride. And then, when I saw the other jockey take a hold of their horse to go a mile and a half, I just let my horse run through on the rail and take the lead and (inaudible) the challenge.
I knew that Sham was going to run with me all the way. And so I just took a little edge by going to the inside that was saving me going around the first turn. And then Sham collared me right around the first turn it was — went all to the ¾ pole pretty good to the other — I mean, it looked like a match race, and it was kind of a match race.
But we still had to go a mile and a half. And (Jockey) Laffit (Pincay) knew it, I knew it. So we were using our horses a lot. We were just staying together like that. And then, finally, something happened to Sham and left me alone in the lead. And my horse was striding along, was reading good under me. And I said (inaudible) and that’s good, and — to myself.
And he was an easy horse to ride. And just a little movement of my hand there, which — just to indicate where I wanted him to go. And when to pick it up and when to relax and that’s what he was doing. So down the lane when I turned around, so when there was — when they announced that I was 20 lengths in front, I took a peek back.
As I was turning, I saw the clock on the infield board. And it says 1:59. Oh, I — then I knew that we had the record the — for the Belmont. So I let him run, but I kept watching the tote board all the way down the stretch. There’s two of them there, two toad boards, and they have a timer on them. So I just kept looking there, break a track record every 16th of a mile.
And was doing it pretty well on his own. I just shared through him when I saw (inaudible) on the starter’s stand with flashy pants. I didn’t want him to shy from that. So I just knuckled over a little bit. But I still had a lot of horse when I passed the wire.
Jim Gluckson: Tremendous — just going back to that look back, I mean, you have your business of riding the horse all the way through. But it must have been quite a look to see there were — how far back they were. I mean, the announcer said 22 lengths, but that must have been an astounding scene.
Ron Turcotte: It was. And it was amazing to see him stop the clocks. But we break all the way down the lane. And pulling up, he broke the track record for a mile and 5/8.
Jim Gluckson: On the gallop out, yeah. Tremendous.
Ron Turcotte: He was the type of horse that you’ll never see.
Jim Gluckson: Well, this is — it’s a terrific recap, Ron. I want to turn it over to questions from the media in a second. But I did want to mention that you have worked a great deal, over the years, with the Permanent Disabled Jockeys Fund. And — in helping riders here. And I just wanted to mention that and for you to make any comments about the PDJF before we move on.
Ron Turcotte: The PDJF is the — they organized that to have enough money to help young riders that have spills or — have spills, you get hurt bad, some of them become permanently disabled. And that money goes to help them. And then, again, when I was traveling, I would talk to a lot of them that went down and were in my shape.
And I tried to talk them into taking it one day at a time and not worry and just try to live life as usual as you could — as they could. And then, I do a lot of signing (autographs) and did a lot of shows with secretariat.com. They’re pretty good. They have a good foundation, also.
Jim Gluckson: All right. Very good. Well, Ron, thank you. I’m very glad, and — the work that you’ve done with PDJF over the years and what you’ve provided for them and for the jockeys. At this time, I would like to move along to our question-and-answer session for Ron Turcotte. So let’s begin, now, that portion of the program, please. Michelle?
Operator: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question-and-answer session. Should you have a question, please press * followed by the 1 on your touchtone phone. You will hear a three-tone prompt acknowledging your request. Should you wish to decline from the polling process, please press the * followed by the 2. If you are using a speaker phone, please lift the handset before pressing any keys.
One moment, please, for our first question. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, if you do have a question, please press * 1 at this time. The first question comes from Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. Please go ahead.
Stephen Whyno: Thank you. Hi, Ron. Thank you, very much for doing this. You just talked about the Belmont. But when you think — how often, actually, have you watched that race, over the years? And kind of, do you still, are you still amazed at how Secretariat ran in the Belmont?
Ron Turcotte: Well, I’ll tell you. I was amazed with that horse, all along. But then, he was doing something that you’d never seen before, and will probably never see again. He was training after that race, real good, and I was very confident. And whenever I made a move, I knew that it wasn’t taking too much out of him. So I was just trying to stay (audio gap). Hello, Steve?
Stephen Whyno: Yes, I’m (inaudible).
Jim Gluckson: Yeah, Ron — keep going, Ron.
Ron Turcotte: Yeah, that’s my phone that’s ringing.
Jim Gluckson: Oh. Okay.
Ron Turcotte: (Inaudible) all right. Yeah, go ahead.
Jim Gluckson: All right. Steve, did you have a follow-up — Steve Whyno?
Stephen Whyno: No, I’m good. Thank you very much, Jim. And thank you, Ron.
Ron Turcotte: Thank you.
Operator: Thank you. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, if you do have a question, please press * 1 at this time.
Jim Gluckson: All right. While we’re waiting, Ron, I just had a question for you, about going back to the previous year. As I mentioned, you won the Derby and the Belmont aboard Riva Ridge. But had it not been an awful day of rain and mud, you might have won the Preakness Stakes in 1972, as well, and could have won the Triple Crown.
So I just wanted to just mention that race, just a part of history, so it’s not forgotten that that was a very difficult day for you, as I recall, and for the horse, sure.
Ron Turcotte: Now, I am — I have the phone ringing there. Could you repeat that?
Jim Gluckson: I just wanted to talk about the ’72 Preakness on Riva Ridge, that you — we were saying you could have won the Triple Crown that year, had it been a — better conditions on the track.
Ron Turcotte: Definitely, yeah. Riva Ridge was the type of horse that was — that made sure — very fast. And he was much better for his age than the other horses. But he could not handle the mud or the grass. Yeah, we’d have won both — we’d have won two Triple Crowns, back-to-back.
As it was, we won back-to-back Derby, which would have — hadn’t been done since Jimmy Winkfield did back in 1901, 1902, I believe. It was 71 years between the – with one jockey winning two races — two Derby, back-to-back.
Jim Gluckson: Amazing-long time. Very interesting. All right. Let’s see if there are any more questions for you, Ron. Hold on one second.
Operator: Thank you. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, if you do have a question, please press * 1 at this time. The next question comes from Andrew Gross of News Day. Please go ahead.
Andrew Gross: Hi, there, Ron. Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it. Sorry, my phone was kind of going off there. I appreciate it. It’s an honor talking to you. I was just curious — we always talk about Secretariat’s legacy. And fewer and fewer people have actually seen the race or have first-hand memories of it.
What do you think it does mean for horse racing, in general, to have kind of this mythic race and legacy, that kind of, when you think of horse racing, you think of this race and sport and Secretariat? Thanks.
Ron Turcotte: Thanks, Andrew. I think it’s great for racing. The way we kept the horse sound and as fast as he was running. He just — well, contrary to what (inaudible) was saying, the horse thought he had it, that he knew what to do, and he was doing things on his own.
That’s why I was on the horse, just to control him, guide him, and put him in the right place at the right time to make the move to — had a lot of horse through the stretch.
Andrew Gross: And also, Ron, do you — I mean, I know you were looking back when you got to 25 lengths. But did you ever take a peek at the crowd at Belmont and see their reaction to what Secretariat was doing?
Ron Turcotte: Yes. I — as I turned for home, I was looking ahead, and I could see the crowd very good. It was — looks like a wild sea, a bad storm, when you see — recall that (inaudible) that some of the sea, up and down, up and down. And a lot of people were jumping up and down.
And once I got closer, I could hear them — a lot of them cheering me on. And it was something that you don’t see every day. In the Preakness, I remember they were jumping on the fence and Secretariat had never moved and I kept him right there on the fence — along side the fence. And he never shied from anything. And so no, it was really a sight to see, all the people jumping up and down.
Andrew Gross: Very good. I appreciate it, Ron. Be well.
Ron Turcotte: Thank you, Andrew.
Operator: Thank you. There are no further questions at this time. I’ll turn the conference back to Jim Gluckson for closing remarks.
Jim Gluckson: Well, I just want to ask Ron one other question. I had seen a report, where you thought about, after the — after you’d won the Belmont and after the gallop-out, on the way back, you had considered going up — taking him up the grandstand and parading him in front of the people. But I think, at the last minute, you decided against that idea. Is that correct?
Ron Turcotte: No, I just regretted not doing it. But then, If I’d have done it and something happened, then I couldn’t — I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.
Jim Gluckson: Okay.
Ron Turcotte: But I just wish I’d — you know, I’d have done it, just — not fast, just do a gallop there. And then, come back, because he was still — he was not tired. And when I took him in, he wasn’t breathing hard or — when I pulled him up, he was really breathing too hard. And when I took my saddle off, heck, he was hardly — he didn’t sweat at all.
Jim Gluckson: Interesting. Very great. Well, just — Ron, I wanted to thank you for your time today, for joining us on the call and reminiscing about this great Triple Crown campaign of 1973. And we appreciate you coming on and your work for PDJF. And, please, have a great day. Thank you so much, Ron.
Ron Turcotte: Well, I thank you very much, Jim.
Jim Gluckson: Have a good day, now. Bye-bye.
Ron Turcotte: You, too. Bye-bye.
Jim Gluckson: Okay. Ron Turcotte, everyone. Thank you very much. This concludes today’s call. And our conference calls during the Triple Crown campaign from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Thank you for joining us.
Thank you to Meghan Rodgers for her assistance in putting these calls together. Again, there will be a transcript and an audio replay of this call in the next 24 hours. So, thanks again everyone and have a good day.
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, this does conclude the conference call for today. We thank you for your participation and ask that you please disconnect your lines.
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