In his own words: Ron Turcotte on Secretariat’s historic 31-length Belmont Stakes triumph
At 10h41, on June 6, 2023 • By BELMONT PARK
On June 9, 1973 at Belmont Park, a crowd of 69,138 saw the epitome of athletic greatness on full display in the form of a well-built chestnut thoroughbred named Secretariat, who left his foes with broken hearts and those watching with mouths agape, winning the Belmont Stakes by an unprecedented 31 lengths.
Secretariat’s pinnacle moment provided him with a sweep of the Triple Crown, a feat that had not been accomplished in 25 years. What made his Triple Crown run so significant was that he found a different way to impress in each race.
After rallying to win the Kentucky Derby in a record time of 1:59 2/5 while completing each quarter of a mile faster than the previous one, Secretariat showed new dimensions in the Preakness Stakes, making an early move around the first turn en route to victory. In the Belmont Stakes, jockey RonTurcotte allowed Secretariat to showcase his full potential in a prominent performance likely never to be replicated again.
Known affectionately as “Big Red” due to his chestnut coat, Secretariat’s Belmont win is regarded by many as the greatest performance a racehorse has ever displayed. It also is listed as No. 13 on Sports Illustrated’s 100 Greatest Moments in Sports History.
For Turcotte, the memory of being the passenger aboard Secretariat is one that has an irreplaceable place in his heart, even 50 years later.
“He was such a magnificent horse,” recollected Turcotte. “He was such a ham, and yet so capable of doing anything on the racetrack. We were good partners, and we never fought each other. He loved to play. He was lovable. It was love at first sight when I first saw him as a baby when he came in from the farm.”
Secretariat was owned and bred by Penny Chenery’s Meadow Stable and trained by Lucien Laurin, whose Turcotte-piloted Riva Ridge captured the prior year’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Bred in Virginia, he was by influential sire Bold Ruler, and out of the Princequillo mare Somethingroyal.
