Ron Turcotte monument to be unveiled in Grand Falls
Bronze statue pays tribute to famed ex-jockey, who won the 1973 Triple Crown with Secretariat
The Town of Grand Falls is erecting a $300,000-monument to famed jockey Ron Turcotte.
It will honour the hometown hero, who rode into the history books in 1973, winning horse racing's highest honour —the Triple Crown.
The bronze statue, to be unveiled next month, captures the moment Turcotte's horse, Secretariat, crossed the finish line at the Belmont Stakes.
Mayor Richard Keeley says the project has been six years in the making.
"It was about that time that the movie Secretariat came out, so it just brought Ron's — basically his achievements back to light, if you will, and it just refocused the public's attention on what occurred back in the 70s," said Keeley.
"So we started tinkering with the idea, 'Is there anything that we can do in order to honour him for what he achieved and also incorporate that in a greater tourism strategy?'"
We're just very happy he's allowing us to do this.- Richard Keeley, Grand Falls mayor
The statue, created by Yves Thériault, of the Acadien Peninsula, will be located along the Broadway Boulevard parkway, in front of the Ron Turcotte Bridge.
Keeley says it will be a beautiful addition to the downtown core.
The official unveiling will be held on July 19, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
A National Film Board documentary about Turcotte by Phil Comeau will be shown in a tent at the site and there will also be an opportunity to meet Turcotte.
"We're just very happy he's allowing us to do this," said Keeley, noting Turcotte keeps a low profile in the community and has been recovering from a motor vehicle accident last winter.
The design of the statue was actually Turcotte's suggestion, he said.
"The horse is basically standing on one foot. There's one foot touching the ground and he (Turcotte) is looking in the back at the rear — just how far the distance was between him and his competitors, so it's quite a significant pose."
The horse's nose was also tweaked a bit on Turcotte's advice for a more accurate representation of the way Secretariat breathed when racing, he said.
Funding for the statue came through grants and partnership agreements with the provincial government, said Keeley.