The Hall of Fame jockey swept the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes, ending a quarter-century drought in horse racing’s Triple Crown.

Turcotte famously rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973, sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes to end a 25-year drought for the feat. It marked the first Triple Crown victory since Citation's run in 1948.

And a horse named Secretariat emerged on the horizon as something to believe in. Even non-horseplayers gave their hopes and, later, their hearts, to the chestnut-colored colt named Secretariat and a 5-1, 110-pound Canadian-born jockey named Ron Turcotte. Together, they would make unique equine history and capture the nation’s psyche.