In 1973, Canadian-born jockey Ron Turcotte made history, guiding Secretariat to consecutive victories in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes—scoring the first Triple Crown in thoroughbred racing after a 25-year gap. Five years later, his career came to an abrupt end when a fall from a horse during a race left him a paraplegic. Phil Comeau's documentary catches up with Turcotte in 2012, as the latter visits the tracks hosting that year's Triple Crown events, meeting with jockeys and trainers. Turcotte also chats with Penny Chenery, owner of Secretariat, and with former jockeys Jean Cruguet and Steve Cauthen, who won the Triple Crown in 1977 and 1978, respectively (no Triple Crown winner has emerged since Cauthen's triumph). Horse racing enthusiasts will certainly enjoy Turcotte's stories—backed by wonderful archival footage—about his illustrious professional life, which included more than 3,000 victories. Oddly, no mention is made of Turcotte's career in the interval between the Secretariat tour de force and the 1978 accident, and Turcotte occasionally seems to exhibit a grudgingly polite tolerance of Comeau's camera. Regardless, this is a handsome tribute to one of the sport's true legends. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Secretariat's Jockey Ron Turcotte
(2013) 75 min. DVD: $195. DRA. National Film Board of Canada. PPR. Closed captioned. Volume 30, Issue 1
Secretariat's Jockey Ron Turcotte
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