MAY 2023 THE RIDER /33 The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty By Curtis Stock


Published: May 2023 Firefly Books Price: $35.00 / Hardcover ISBN: 9780228104247 2023 is the 50th an-


niversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown victory. Yes, fifty years ago, Secretariat, a horse so powerful and fast that many of his records still stand today, com- pleted his historic Triple Crown cam- paign – his win was so popular with race fans that many win- ning $2 tickets were never surrendered for the $s. Secre- tariat’s rider was Ron Turcotte who grew up as one of 14 children in the small town of Drummond, New Brunswick, noted for its timber industry not horse racing! Four of Ron’s siblings - Noel, Rudy, Roger and Yves - followed their older brother onto North Ameri- can racetracks and into the winner’s cir-


cle. This new book, The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dy- nasty, is the story of this family’s journey from their little corner of the Canadian woods to the pinnacle of the thoroughbred racing world. Each Turcotte found out- standing success, collec-


tively winning a staggering 8,251 races for purse earn- ings just shy of $60 million. But the jockey’s life takes a toll; each brother was in a never-ending battle to main- tain his riding weight, while Noel, Rudy and Roger con- stantly fought the bottle. And then came the losses, the injuries and the crushing heartbreaks. The unlikely triumph of one of horse racing’s greatest families was not without tragedy. Draw- ing upon over 30 years of reporting and inter- views, author Curtis Stock takes readers on an unforgettable ride through the major play- ers and race days of thoroughbred racing. Part biography and part oral history, the book is a true underdog story and a sure bet for any sports fan. The 25th chapter, in particular, is an exciting telling of Secretariat’s


Triple


Crown races, each race written from a stride-by- stride perspective. It will


countless statistics at that time. Daily Racing Form manuals and archives from the stories I had already written as a sports writer with the Edmonton Journal for some 30 years and when Roger and Yves rode here in Alberta. A lot of the infor- mation came from one-on- one interviews from that period.” The family was very open to interviews once the book writing process began. “The family was very accommodating. I spent three days in New Brunswick with Ron three years ago. At that time, I also visited Rudy who was in a group home in Grand Falls, NB, and I also talked extensively with Rudy when I tracked him down in Florida and before he came to Alberta. Yves, lives in St. Albert which is a suburb of


leave you breathless! Curtis Stock, an Ed-


monton-based sports jour- nalist (and inductee into The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame) is a record holder himself, winning 11


Unveiling Of Equine Simulator


And Presentation Of Cheque By Equine Foundation Of Canada To Thompson Rivers University Veterinary Technology Program On March 02, 2023


erinary Technology Pro- gram Chair, Greg Anderson, Dean of Science and a num- ber of instructors led a lively discussion with me regard- ing the use of the models in their teaching and future plans for expansion of the program. They are also ac- tively pursuing the estab- lishment of a Veterinary Medicine program at TRU, the first in B.C. Informal discussions have been held with the provincial govern- ment’s Departments of Agriculture and Education. They foresee being able to share the resources and equipment of the technology program with a future med-


would be able to actually see. Being able to add air and body fluids to the vari- ous structures enhanced the clinical versatility of the model, providing students with many scenarios that af- fect equine health. Heather Shannon, Vet-


staff on March 02, 2023 and was given a thorough, “hands-on” orientation to the black “mare”. The equine simulator had been prepared to display the major signs of colic in the abdominal organs, a clinical condition that


students Greg Anderson, Dean of TRU’s Faculty of Science, Pat Crema, Equine Foundation


of Canada, Samantha Ruth, TRU Veterinary Technology Student, Heather Shannon. TRU Veterinarian Technology, Program Chair Geralyn Cormack, TRU Director of Development


Rockton


Saddle Club Promoting Horse and


Horsemanship in the Community Start time 10:00 am


Saturday, May 6 • Saturday, June 10 • July 8 • Saturday, August 12 • Saturday, September 9


Horse show to be held at the Rockton Fair Grounds. Start time, 10 am for both rings.


www.facebook.com/groups/64181406821/


year since my initial tour of Thompson Rivers Univer- sity’s Veterinary Technology facility for the equine simu- lator to arrive on campus. The $50,000 donation pro- vided by the EFC allowed not only the ordering of the life-sized horse model but led the way in obtaining more subsequent funding to a total of $120,000!! As a re- sult, the university has pur- chased a second equine simulator and also a cow simulator for their students’ learning. I met with the vet tech


It has taken almost a


ical one. Following our discus-


sion, photos were taken of the group in front of the equine simulator. The large


cheque for $50,000 took centre stage.


ceremonial cardboard


Equine Foundation of Canada


Submitted by: Pat Crema, BC Director


Sovereign Awards for his sports writing as well as nu- merous other awards and kudos. With his insider’s view of the Turcotte fam- ily’s lives, career highs and lows, no other author could have penned this story. As Stock explains: “The re- search and writing took 3 years but I actually started thinking of writing this book 20 years ago and I began accumulating their histories. I went through


Edmonton where I live. He was extremely helpful. We spoke at least once a week. I met Roger many, many times when he rode in Al- berta. Noel was the only jockey I never met.” The book will be re-


leased in early May and is available from Amazon and Indigo Books. If you’d like to follow the author on so- cial media, his Twitter ac- count is: @CurtisJStock Glenda Fordham, for The Rider


WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK?


Email The Rider and name the famous Triple Crown winner ridden to fame by Ron Turcotte (please in- clude your mailing address). Entry deadline is midday June 15th when a winner will be drawn.


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