Eddie Arcaro was known as “The Master,” high praise indeed for anyone attempting to persuade a half-ton Thoroughbred to do his bidding at an instant’s notice. But Arcaro deserved that accolade because it can be argued that he, perhaps more than any other jockey, came closest to mastering his perilous craft.
There should be no mention of the mighty Triple Crown champion Secretariat without pointing to jockey Ron Turcotte as an integral member of a dynamite team.
It might appear from watching replays of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes in 1973 as if Turcotte was merely a passenger taken for a wonderful ride by the gleaming colt they called “Big Red.” But Penny Chenery, Secretariat’s owner, knew better.
New York’s road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve concludes this Saturday. Aqueduct will host the $750,000, Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino at 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt.
It’s hard to believe it was 10 years ago. So much has happened in the real world since American Pharoah swept the 2015 Triple Crown and capped his 3-year-old season with a historic “Grand Slam” win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
