Ron Turcotte, Geoff Lewis and Bruce Raymond are mourned in our weekly digest of recent international racing news
Death of Secretariat’s jockey Ron Turcotte, aged 84
Canada: Residents of Grand Falls in New Brunswick, Canada, decked the town in blue and white this week, the colors made famous by local resident Ron Turcotte (right), the Hall of Fame jockey who rode the legendary Triple Crown winner Secretariat, following his death at the age of 84 of natural causes last Friday [Aug 22].
Turcotte left school to work as a lumberjack before moving to Toronto where he got a job as a hotwalker and then a jockey, rising through the ranks to become the leading rider at Woodbine and subsequently a major force in the North America riding ranks.
He won the Preakness Stakes for the first time in 1965 on Tom Rolfe, then the Kentucky Derby and Belmont in 1972 on Riva Ridge. He became a household name when he teamed up with Secretariat, guiding him to a first Triple Crown in 1973, breaking a drought that stretched back to 1948.
Secretariat won the Belmont by an astonishing 31 lengths in a record time for the 1m4f distance that still stands today. Turcotte rode the winners of 3,032 races over two decades, retiring in 1978 when suffering a heavy fall which made him paraplegic. He was inducted in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1979.
Family friend Leonard Lusky said: “Ron was a great jockey and an inspiration to so many, both within and outside the racing world. While he reached the pinnacle of success in his vocation, it was his abundance of faith, courage and kindness that was the true measure of his greatness.” More here
British racing mourns Mill Reef jockey Geoff Lewis
GB: Geoff Lewis, who forged an unbroken association with the great Mill Reef, died on Tuesday [Aug 26] after a short illness. He was 89.
The most successful jockey to come out of Wales, he rode five British Classic winners and enjoyed notable success for trainers Ian Balding and Sir Noel Murless, riding more than 1,800 winners in Britain.
He will forever be remembered for his association with Mill Reef, who was trained by Balding for US tycoon Paul Mellon. Together they won the Derby, Eclipse Stakes, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1971, a year which began with defeat by another all time great, Brigadier Gerard in the 2,000 Guineas.
Lewis retired from the saddle in 1979 and set up as a trainer in Epsom where for 20 years he sent out nearly 500 winners, his best horse being the 1995 July Cup winner Lake Coniston. More here
Lewis’s death was announced just two days after his former colleague Bruce Raymond died aged 82, after suffering from cancer. A popular figure, Raymond enjoyed a 36-year career in which he rode around 2,000 winners and after retiring became racing manager to Rabbah Bloodstock, looking after the interests of Saeed Suhail, who enjoyed Epsom Derby success with Desert Crown in 2022. More here
Sovereignty to train up to Breeders’ Cup Classic
USA: Sovereignty will not run again before the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar [Nov 1], the first time he will meet older rivals, after he became the first horse since 1995 to win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont and Travers Stakes with a ten-length romp at Saratoga on Saturday [Aug 23].
“We’ll stay up here [to train],” said trainer Bill Mott. “I always think fresh horses run pretty good, usually, and we’ll have to train him. If we run him, we’ve got to ship him somewhere, and he runs good enough fresh, so I’m not that worried.”
Sovereignty completed a straightforward victory while on the undercard Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna was made to fight before prevailing by a nose over Dorth Vader in the Personal Ensign Stakes. The first two pulled 9¾ lengths clear of the third horse.
Trainer Kenny McPeek, who is training her to defend her Breeders’ Cup Distaff crown at Del Mar, plans to give her another run. “I’m going to nominate to the Delaware Handicap [Sept 28],” he said. “It has been a great race in the past, I think they downgraded it and the purse, but if we kept her up here, that would be a little easier.
“We’ll also nominate to the Spinster [Oct 5], of course, and we’ll take that as it comes, Both good races, but if she’s happy up here, it may be easier to leave her here, go to Delaware, come back and go to California.” More here
Venetian Sun new favourite for 1,000 Guineas after Morny victory
France: Venetian Sun became the new favourite for the 2026 1,000 Guineas after defeating Aidan O’Brien’s Gstaad in the G1 Prix Morny [Aug 24].
The Karl Burke-trained filly edged the clash between the two Royal Ascot-winning juveniles by a short neck to give jockey Clifford Lee the first G1 success of his career. More here
Via Sistina takes G1-winning record to ten with second Winx success
Australia: Via Sistina began her programme towards a second Cox Plate [Oct 25] with a neck victory in the Winx Stakes [Aug 23], becoming the first eight-year-old mare to win a G1 for 80 years.
Trainer Chris Waller said she was likely to follow the same path to Moonee Valley as 12 months ago when she contested the Makybe Diva Stakes and Turnbull Stakes before she took Australia’s weight-for-age championship race by eight lengths. More here
Ka Ying Rising given September 7 return date
Hong Kong: Ka Ying Rising, the #1 horse on the TRC Global Rankings, will return for action on September 7 after completing his first barrier trial [Aug 22] ahead of the new season. The winner of his last 12 starts is set to kick off his campaign in the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap ahead of an overseas trip to Australia to tackle the Everest [Oct 18]. More here
Elsewhere in racing …
GB: Daniel & Claire Kubler take on role for Bahrain royal family More here
GB: Wayne Lordan ruled out of St Leger and Irish Champions Weekend by whip ban More here
USA: Perry Ouzts to be honored with Mr Fitz award More here
Australia: Everest contender Sunshine In Paris retired following injury More here
Japan: Alice Verite to have second crack at Breeders’ Cup Distaff More here
Australia: Robbie Dolan gets suspension moved to be free for Knight’s Choice return More here
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