"Turcotte, who despite being in a wheelchair since 1978 after a riding accident left him paralyzed from the waist down, often showed up at big races to sign autographs, pose for pictures and act as an ambassador for the sport. During his almost two-decade career, beginning in 1961, Turcotte won 3,023 races with lifetime earnings of more than $28 million. He was forced to retire in 1978 when, at 36, he suffered career-ending injuries in a spill at Belmont Park."
"Turcotte's accomplishments earned him a spot in six different Halls of Fame, including the National Racing Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. He won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, presented at Santa Anita, the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award, given in Canada, and the Turf Publicists Big Sport of Turfdom Award. He spent much of his later years bringing attention to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF)."
""I knew I was quite a ways in front because I couldn't hear any other horses hitting the ground behind me. When I got the quarter pole I looked and I could barely see them and I looked at the clock and saw 1:59 on the board, which was faster than we ran the Derby.""
Ron Turcotte died at age 84 at his home near Grand Falls, New Brunswick, from natural causes. Turcotte rode Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown and famously won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. He raced from 1961 until a 1978 spill at Belmont Park left him paralyzed from the waist down and forced his retirement. Turcotte won 3,023 races with more than $28 million in lifetime earnings and entered multiple Halls of Fame. He received major jockey awards and spent later years promoting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The family requests PDJF donations in lieu of flowers and plans a private funeral.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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