Review of "The Turcottes"

When I received a review request for this book, I was quite happy to accept.  After all, Secretariat is still considered to be not only the best race horse in history but also one of the best athletes ever.  I did remember that his jockey was Ron Turcotte but I had no idea that Ron was only one of many successful jockeys in the family.  Here is my review of Curtis Stock's excellent book on this racing family. 

Title/Author:

“The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty” by Curtis Stock

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Secretariat is still considered to be one of the greatest race horses in history, even now, 50 years after his Triple Crown.  His jockey was Ron Turcotte, who became as much of a celebrity as his horse during those special weeks.  However, Ron was certainly not the only successful jockey in his family and this excellent book by Curtis Stock pays homage to all the Turcotte riders.

Ron was one of 14 children of Alfred and Rose Turcotte in New Brunswick.  The large family had many struggles and often lived in poverty – this was starkly illustrated at the start of this book with a description of a fire that destroyed the residence of the Turcottes.  Alfred made a living as a logger and it seemed to be the destiny of his sons as well.  But when Ron was 17 and after caring for the horses who hauled the loads, Ron and his brother Reggie left home to find different paths.  Reggie eventually was able to use his culinary skills into decent jobs, but it was Ron’s path of finding a job in a stable by sheer determination that the road for the most famous family in horse racing began.

It might surprise some readers, including myself, to read about just how successful all five Turcottes became on the track.  In addition to Ron, his brothers Noel, Rudy, Roger and Yves (who was the youngest of the 14 children) all rode to at least 1000 victories except Noel who rode on “only” 945 winners as he was struggling in his last few years to finish his career.  Each brother had rides for at least 15 years in Canada and the United States. Each one had similar starts to their riding careers but all took different paths to success and each one’s story makes for excellent reading.

That is because Stock’s writing is in a style that is easy for a novice fan (or even non-fan) of horse racing can understand but is detailed enough that avid fans will enjoy it.  This is the case whether talking about a minor race in Alberta to the three Triple Crown races Ron ran on Secretariat.  If there is a brother who gets the most ink in the book it would of course be Ron, but all of the other brothers get their fair share of pages as well.  This included personal matters as well as those on the track or in the stables. Two of the more heartbreaking stories on this was Roger’s battle with alcoholism that strained both his family and his racing career and Ron being left paralyzed after being thrown from a horse.   

During this 50^th anniversary of one of the greatest accomplishments in any sport, this is a book that should be read by anyone who has an interest in horse racing, Secretariat or sports history.

I wish to thank Firefly Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

Link: The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty: Stock, Curtis: 9780228104247: Amazon.com: Books