Two Minutes with Ron Turcotte

[@dorothymalloy1474]

He was the greatest Horse that ever lived. He was God 's creature & a magnificent Animal, may he RIP we miss you Big Red

[@kwgrid]

Right before Secretariat started pulling away from Sham, you can watch his stride and see that he switched into 'the zone' and stayed there for the rest of the race. Just like the announcer said, "He's moving like a tremendous machine." He was smooth, steady, like a fine watch mechanism.

[@DonCarlosHormozi]

Yes kwgrid. It was a thing of beauty to watch. Instantly, we realized that we were witnessing "greatness".

[@juniorjohnson5961]

The greatest performance I've ever seen and I'm 69

[@jm1657]

Great analogy. Secretariat was the equine equivalent of the finest Swiss watch. 🕰

[@juniorjohnson5961]

@@jm1657 Dion has a song called Street Hart give it a listen .

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

OMG, I've been reading many people's comments but you're the first person to point this out that I myself have been thinking (there may be others I haven't noticed). His running was SUPER SMOOTH. He's VERY pleasing to eyes to watch even watching through old videos. I would have loved to have a 4k version. But you can easily see it He really DID look like a machine. Hed like a bike or train moving. Many otherhorses run in that galloping hopping looking like they are heavy and moving, he looked super smooth. Runnin style might also be a major factor in him being so fast. I do wonder if other trainers & riders consider it. As even some of the others that are running fast they still don't have that smoothness to them. It's also beautiful that he didn't need to be manhandled in order to run fast. Ronnie didn't have to beat him, he was speed up all on his own at the end. When he was running alongside Sham he looked like he was just taking it easy and hanging with him for a bit before he decided to just have fun and RUN.

[@DonCarlosHormozi]

My eyes well up just thinking about Secretariat. Rest In Peace. You are now running in the Elysian fields with the sun on your majestic face!

[@marcosponce960]

Only 3 things to say to Ron, thank you, sir, thankyou

[@bon1042]

Secretariat was running so easily and he was so massive and powerful, I read, that Turcotte didn't realize how fast he was going and so steady and smoothly. He said once riding him was like steering a jet plane. One quote I like is fm Time Magazine at the time.... "Secretariat has a neck like a buffalo and a back the size of a sofa"!

[@jm1657]

An indelible quote! Thanks for sharing 🤗

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

The fact that he didn't realize may have also been why the trainer was shouting at him to just hold on. The would have seen how fast he was moving.

[@icpchad]

That perfect stride, each reach pushing him another inch ahead of the pack, the further he ran, the faster he ran. RIP SuperHorse.

[@OMGWUNSIU]

Just imagine the feeling of riding Secretariat for those three big wins for the Triple Crown…

[@annbolyn4910]

Wow! What a dream. What a lifetime experience. The whole country fell in love with this gorgeous, tremendous machine. I've seen so many commenters (including me) say that Secretariat inspired them to be better. A magnificent horse did that. Everything about him captured our hearts forever.

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

@@annbolyn4910 Lifetime? That is a once in an eternity experience. Ronnie is the only human being in existence that will EVER know how that feels.

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

I went to the KY Derby in 1973. I bet on Sham, a great horse also, but I witnessed the start of a superstar, the greatest horse of all time. Thanks Ron for sharing your thoughts about Big Red. JohnG

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

Sham will also go down as a legend. just watching those races he made it a lot more funt than if Secretariat had no competition. He helped to push him to setting those GOAT records. Did you bet on Sec. during the Belmont?

[@PrinzessinLina2012]

Yes but whats a horse race without a jockey? in my opinion there was no better jockey for secretariat than ron turcotte, they were the perfect team.

[@paulephelan3605]

Truly the greatest.

[@taxisteve929]

Spectacular Bid was a great horse, but he would never have run with Secretariat when both were at the top of their game. Secretariat set the 1 1/2 mile record on his own in the Belmont with Turcotte sitting like a statue until the 1/8th pole when he hand rode him.....by 2 3/5 seconds!!!! ....he destroyed the older horses in the Marlboro and set a record for 1 1/8 setting a Worlds record...how would he have come back after maturing into a 4 and 5 year old?? Who knows. But he was special....he had something inside that made his running effortless when he wanted to run and was sound, and NOBODY could have beaten him in the history of the sport on that Belmont day!!!

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

He would have been BEAST at 4 or 5....The record even though unbreakable is at a point of hope where you can feel like it's touchable an dyou can get close....If he was being pushed by Ronnie or had been older that record would have been sat Supernatural levels. Where people were cheering for him in a frenzy at the Belmont, they'd probably stopped cheering after a while when he started flying down the back stretch, jaws wide open, eyes about to fall out of their socket, in a combination of horror, shock, amazement, confusion....It would have been too much. Secretariat was giving others chance...or have SOME hope. They'd have know things were hopeless had he been running even a year later. And on the business side, gambling is important in the horse racing business and a big part of that had to with the 'house always winning' as they say in Vegas. People betting against him would be the few who knew nothing about racing and neve heard of him at that time...a small minority.

[@duckydrummer6331]

Like one of the horse experts said…..”It was like GOD whispered into Secretariat’s ear GO! and he took off” Ronnie was quoted as saying….I just pressed on the gas pedal and he took off.

[@margaretjiantonio939]

That's no horse. That's Secretariat. Enough said.

[@janetgallo5720]

I think Ron Turcot is saying it as it is. He knows what horse could’ve would’ve should’ve never would’ve beaten secretariet and his mind there was no other horse that could have.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

I can't begin to imagine what it was like being one with the greatest racehorse that ever lived on earth. Belmont race, Ron Turcotte was only along for the ride. Secretariat did it all on his own.

[@NativeTexan77]

I am right there with you. I would be blubbering & bawling so bad he would probably think I was nuts!

[@sergeantmasson3669]

I firmly believe that in that Belmont race, "Red' had made up his own mind that he'd had enough of Sham's nonsense and shifted into a faster gear thinking "Take that, Sham." All Ron could do was talk to "Red" and hold on for the greatest ride of his life.

[@tedbundy1769]

It certainly didn't have anything to do with Shams front hooves splaying after a stress hairline fracture in his lower right front leg. Nope. It was all Secretariat. Pffft. Sham was every bit as fast as Secretariat. The only thing that separated them was fate or luck or whatever you want to call it. Sham sustain serious injuries in 2 of the 3 triple Crown races.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@tedbundy1769 WRONG ! Sham was NOT as fast as Secretariat. Sham's serious injury was in the Belmont Stakes race and was never raced again. He was retired and lived until 23 years of age.

[@tedbundy1769]

@@sergeantmasson3669 So you admit that everything you wrote on your post is bullshit? Thanks for proving my point. Which triple crown race was it where sham busted his face coming out of the gate resulting in two knocked out teeth and swollen nasal passages? Was that the Derby where he recorded the second fastest time in Derby history? Pretty good for a horse with two broken teeth and breathing problems. How did Secretariat do with his little tooth ache? 4th place? Not only was sham just as fast INJURED, he also had more guts. Secretariat was a princess.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@tedbundy1769 Your ignorance is of titanic proportions. Secretariat didn't have a toothache either. He had an abscess on the inside of his lower lip. That "princess" set some records that have never been broken. Sham was a great horse but was always 2nd great behind Secretariat. Your point being? It's now 2021, not 1973, DUMBASS.

[@tedbundy1769]

@@sergeantmasson3669 Yep. 2nd best due to broken leg in one race and a broken face and swollen passages in the other....not because Secretariat was the better horse. Like I Said. The only difference between the two was dumb luck. How much time do you suppose two broken teeth and swollen nasal passages took off of Shams time after busting his face on the gate at the Derby? Let's see how honest you are.

[@michelinekribs9563]

Agree 100%.M.Kribs, it ticks me off.Like shut up and let Ronny talk.,plus way too many interruption and the background noise is irritating

[@michelinekribs9563]

Yes it was secratariet going for the belmont snd I agree there is too much background noise and way too many interruptions. Last summer in Missouri a woman bought a gelding from an auction, he was going to slaughter. She found out the horse was one of secratariets grandsons. I hate the thought of slaughterhouses.M.Kribs

[@christinematton4125]

Wish we could've heard the whole interview... with less background noise also

[@WickedFelina]

I don't know if this is the same guy or, the second time someone who meets the jockey of the Greatest Horse to have ever lived, and said that "Seattle Slew is my favorite." WTF? Just interview the man, and talk about the greatness of his horse. Poor Ron missed out on being considered one of the greatest jockeys of all time when he was thrown from his horse and became paralyzed. Just give him your respect, and ask questions.

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

Well thanks to Secretariat he'll always be remembered though...WHether or not anyone recognizes him as the goat jockey, I bet he will be more known that many who consider others to be better than him.

[@bon1042]

@RAV52 Yes.... Turcotte was/IS the luckiest man in the world, look how easy he is, about all the questions.... yes he knew he was breaking records "all the way down the line" in that final 1/4... I wonder if he realized at the 1 1/4 mile mark Secretariat had ACTUALLY broken his Kentucky Derby record by 2/5 of a sec... it was 1:59 FLAT ! That's Bob Neumeier asking, you'd think he'd know 30 odd yrs later that Turcotte NEVER urged or asked him thruout the race. S was doing it all on his own !

[@ccasey1904]

I keep hearing, and I don’t know how true it is, that Secretariat alone decided how to run his races. Ron Turcotte was just along for the ride.

[@lucas13260]

Cavalo incrível!

[@cheeriosinabowl]

Ron had a terrible spill in July 1978, which rendered him paraplegic. It ended his career as a jockey with months/years of rehab. He was a first class jockey, and well respected. Hope he is doing well these days. Several of his brothers also became jockeys: Noel, Rudy, etc.

[@lired70]

It is a dangerous sport for sure. Ron Turcotte was the best jockey for Secretariat. He understood the horse, and Secretariat understood him. When I replay the Belmont in 1973, I cry. I prayed for Ron that day. I prayed that he would stay on. How he did is beyond me. What I loved best is that he didn't have to crop Secretariat. I felt bad for the other horses. I thought that Sham was going to be cropped to death! Ron Turcotte and Secretariat are hero's in my book. I think that Ron is too modest. Secretariat ran for him:)

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

@@lired70 Yeah, you feel very sorry for those other horses...although their riders should also have SOME sense and understand that whipping mercilessly isn't going to do anything when Sec was moving like that, smooth as heck. But yeah, Ron understanding him and not being abusive also makes the fact that he won and even better story. The sport has improve upon harshly treating the horses and while I feel sorry for those others, I am happy their riders did win with how they were going and the one that treated his horse nicely is now the stuff of legend.

[@PROV-g2g]

Jesus, Big Red had a great friend.

[@sydneygottlieb6104]

Lucien Laurin told Secretariat the night before the Belmont Stakes in 1973 that if he won the Belmont and won big it would be great. He would have nothing but all the oats and "bluegrass" he can eat, young fillies and brood mares for the rest of his life. He would never have to race again, or actually be allowed to race again. Just eating and well you know making colts. He was as they say, highly motivated that glorious day in NY!

[@BornAgainBriar]

Well, Secretariat raced at least three more times after winning the Belmont, so while you're story sounds exciting, it can't be true.

[@Republinator]

One of those races was The Whitney at Saratoga, when he lost to Onion. As a NYRA photographer, my father, Harry Kaplan, not only shot that finish, but also the famous one of Secretariat coming down the rail at the Belmont Stakes.

[@stormybleu6054]

I heard Eddie told him to "hurry up and finish this so we can go home Red". As Eddie watched him go by he said "Oh, Glory". My exact thought.

[@LeftyLucianoMusic]

Pretty terrible questions here. I wish I had two minutes with Turcotte. Would have turned out a lot more interesting

[@levelacres2003]

Too much background noise and too many interruptions....

[@bon1042]

@musicology1999 The interviewer is Bob Neumeier. He was with the local NBC affiliate in Hartford, CT at the time I think. In 1980 after Genuine Risk lost the Preakness to Codex bec Angel Cordero came way out fm the rail going into the final turn and bumped her deliberately Neumeier said that :"centrifugal force" brought him WAYYY out to middle of track. I literally screamed at the TV. and BTW, Cordero said... "I knew if I hit the "b**ch:" she'd back up" !!

[@michaelzeisler2257]

I believe that was Ernie Munick

[@MP-tf7cc]

Background noise - doesn't make for good videos.

[@cdeangelo1]

Whi is this nimrod conducting the interview? They should study this interview in schools as an example of incompetence.

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

11 years ago....I wonder what you think of interviews now...Interviewing and journalism as a whole is a hot mess these days.

[@Musky37373]

Ya the reporter is telling the jockey how it was not asking ... I bet that horse was in some shape and smart , he knew the attention he'd get to win.

[@sirfry7517]

Poor audio.

[@michaelzeisler2257]

Sounds like Ernie Munick asking the questions

[@sandranewman7650]

secretariat was the best

[@TSLA369]

Ronny knew he had a stud

[@indychoate8350]

Mr. Taylor said it best and I can’t quote but Secretariat was not beatable if he doesn’t have a fever of diarea! Mrs. Chenery knew he was sick at the Spa in Upstate NY. And she ran him anyway.

[@indychoate8350]

Saratoga should never have been a graveyard for this magnificent animal. Ron knew he was sick; he tried to persuade Lucien and Mrs. Chenery, but they ran him anyway!

[@ccasey1904]

????

[@indychoate8350]

@@ccasey1904 I’ve done my homework Casey. I can tell you haven’t! So don’t reply to my comments based on facts, when you can’t have an in- formed conversation! Do your homework assignment, then we’ll communicate.

[@ccasey1904]

@@indychoate8350 what planet are you from? Or have you no idea how to behave in general?

[@indychoate8350]

Ron told her not to run him, he told Lucien not to run him; they did it anyway!

[@bon1042]

@RAV52 Love it ?

[@virghammer1]

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

[@my2centsiz3]

Its to bad we couldnt put these horses out to run without a jockey. just turn em loose. Then we could see the greatest without a doubt.

[@OMGWUNSIU]

It would be Secretariat

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

@@OMGWUNSIU By an insane win at that...many of the others wouldn't even move or they'd be all over the place. Secretariat would be winning at bigger margins that how he even won in the Belmont...Lolz.

[@Soccertz1]

@mritaliano1900 lol you need to check yourself and change the "American Arrogance" to "Italian....YOU...Arrogance" You type of people who label a nations people a certain way really do need to grow up and take a look in the mirror. I am sure that every single country has people in it that can be labeled in exactly the same way. Don't be a hater......if you want to compare horses use the times and distances to prove a Factual point. Can't argue about Secretariats record time.....unless there is

[@musicology1999]

The interviewer is so lame!

[@Republinator]

Hey Ron Turcotte, do you remember Harry Kaplan? He was the NYRA photographer who shot the famous picture of you coming down the rail at the Belmont Stakes, and also when Secretariat lost to Onion at Saratoga. Are I'm sure you remember, you asked him to lend you his fly rod. He did, and after several requests to get it back, you never returned it. We'd like it back.

[@normavaladez2564]

Oh stfu..troll!!!

[@Kfm7]

I’ve heard kelso and man o war where actually better, if all fields where equal those two would have beaten him . How true that actually is I don’t know. I do know man o war wore a heavier shoe than secretariat. I still think secretariat is the greatest of all time. But who is to say those two weren’t better then him?

[@hollywoodpineapple8337]

I think for all those who keep saying which other hroses are better ignore the fact that Secretariat ran these times without pushing it. If he was in a race with any of those so called "betters" he'd just have ran faster and would have lowered his records even further. Let's not even think of how he would have done if he had one more year of racing...He would have steamrolled all the naysayers. But I get how people are, whenever you have someone that's the best or something and many love them you will always have those outliers that just don't want to be fans of the popular opinion and go against the grain to seem smart or special. Secretariat is the GOAT and everyone will just have to deal. Even if the record is broken the smoothness at which Sec won all on his own is one of the most beautiful moments in HISTORY.