Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte, who guided the legendary Secretariat into Triple Crown history in 1973, will be at the Kentucky Derby Museum from 5:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. on Monday, September 27, 2010.
Turcotte will sign Secretariat items purchased in the gift shop or fan memorabilia at a cost of $15 per autograph. (One purchase will be required for a signature.)
Turcotte won more than 3,000 races while competing at the highest levels of the sport. He rode Riva Ridge to victory in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972. His triumph aboard Secretariat the following year made him the first jockey in 70 years to win back-to-back Kentucky Derbys and the only rider to win five of six consecutive Triple Crown races.
Turcotte was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979 and also is a member of the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame, the Canadian All Sports Hall of Fame, and the New York Sports Hall of Fame, among other such inductions.
His riding career came to an abrupt end on July 13, 1978, when a racing accident at Belmont Park left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Turcotte’s most famous wins aboard Secretariat are featured in the new Disney film, Secretariat.
The Kentucky Derby Museum will celebrate the history, the triumphs, and the people behind the horse in a new feature exhibit showcasing famed racehorse, Secretariat. Secretariat: Big Red’s Journey to the Silver Screen is now open at the Derby Museum and runs until March 27, 2010. The exhibit features exclusive behind the scenes footage filmed on-set during the making of the movie and provided to the Derby Museum by Walt Disney Pictures. Visitors will enjoy inside interviews with many of the actors in the film, props from the movie along with the real life story and artifacts
