Happy Birthday, Ron Turcotte!

Jul 22

July 22, 2024

Our dear friend, Ron Turcotte, won 3,032 races during his 18 years as a jockey. Three of those races propelled him and Secretariat into the realm of legend. Of course, we’re referring to the 1973 Triple Crown races – the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, whose track records still stand today.

With that stunning achievement, Ron became the first jockey since 1902 to win back-to-back Derbys, and the only jockey at the time to win five of the six consecutive Triple Crown races. That includes winning the 1972 Derby and Belmont on Meadow Stable’s Riva Ridge, Secretariat’s older stablemate.

Ron played a pivotal role in the success of both Riva Ridge and Secretariat. He devoted extra time to a young and timid Riva Ridge, helping him gain more confidence on the racetrack. The colt consequently won $500,000 as a two-year-old in 1971. Those winnings helped save the then-faltering stable from the auction block. Ron also convinced trainer Lucien Laurin to cut larger slits in Riva’s racing blinkers just before the 1972 Kentucky Derby. Riva won the Derby, the lifelong dream of Meadow Stable founder Christopher Chenery.

Secretariat was a different horse altogether. Ron’s experience and intuition were a strategic asset, as he knew when to let Secretariat do what he wanted. For all his power and spirit, Secretariat was an easy horse to ride, according to Ron in an interview. When they were blazing down the track at the Belmont, defying all limits, Ron was not worried about Secretariat burning out because he “knew what he had under him.”

As Ron and his family in Canada and countless admirers everywhere celebrate his 83rd birthday, we wish to thank him for all he has done to keep the story of “Big Red” alive for these many years. From media interviews, documentaries, special events, books and numerous awards, this Hall of Fame jockey is truly a beloved ambassador of racing.

We also want Ron to know that his presence is very much felt here in Ashland, Virginia with the magnificent monument “Secretariat Racing into History.” Sculptor Jocelyn Russell dynamically bonded Secretariat and Ron together in bronze, charging toward their iconic victory in the Belmont. In a special touch, she embedded Ron’s personal signature in his right riding boot.

Just one of many ways Ron Turcotte has left his indelible mark in life. With much love, we wish him many more birthdays filled with the kind of happiness he brings to his fans.

Leeanne Meadows Ladin and the Tweedy family

7.22.24

Leeanne Meadows Ladin

Leeanne Meadows Ladin is an award-winning author, historian, speaker and lifelong equestrian. She has written seven books, including “Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend,” which she co-wrote with Kate Chenery Tweedy and Penny Chenery. The book was published in 2010 and has sold over 45,000 copies. Leeanne also developed and ran the original Secretariat Birthplace Tour program at The Meadow from 2010-2020. One of her proudest accomplishments was getting the original barns built in 1936 listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Historic Landmark Register. Leeanne and her husband Gary lived at The Meadow for several years and now reside in Montpelier on their 1850-era horse farm. One of her horses is a descendant of Secretariat.

As a founding member of the Secretariat For Virginia committee, Leeanne helped bring the “Secretariat Racing Into History” monument to Ashland as the first and only statue of the Triple Crown champion in Virginia. She is an in-demand speaker whose presentation “Galloping Through Virginia Horse Racing History with Secretariat” is an eye-opening ride tracing Secretariat’s Virginia roots and legendary career, along with the illustrious role of the Commonwealth as the cradle of American horse racing.

Happy Birthday, Ron Turcotte!

The Sanford Stakes, Saratoga, Saturday, August 16, 1972, as told by Kate Tweedy

A New Generation Celebrates Big Red