In anticipation of the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the 1973 Kentucky Derby, author Curtis Stock has provided an excert from his book featuring Ron Turcotte's win aboard Secretariat.

A record crowd of 137,476 gathers for the May 5, 1973 Kentucky Derby. Just an hour before post time, Ron awakes from his nap with a startle. He is sweating. He has just dreamed that Secretariat got beat. Shaking his head to unclog his half-awake, half-asleep visions he realizes the television monitors are simply replaying Secretariat’s loss in the Wood Memorial.

“Just a dream,” Ron realizes happily. “Just a dream.”

In the saddling paddock, Ron sidles close to Laurin, who is pacing. Laurin puts a smoldering cigarette down on a stall board and inadvertently brushes against it, burning a hole in his jacket.

“You know the horse, Ronnie,” he says. “Just try to keep clear. Don’t worry about a thing. Ride the race the way it comes up.” Getting a leg boost into the saddle from Laurin, Ron circles the paddock one last time and heads onto the track, where the throng of shifting fans have already started to sing “My Old Kentucky Home.” Ron reaches down and pats Secretariat comfortably on his neck and forehead.

In the starting gate, Ron feels Secretariat’s heart thump between his legs. Two stalls down, on the rail, Sham, the Santa Anita Derby winner and second choice in the wagering, is anxious too. He bangs his head on the starting gate and loses two teeth.

At 5:37 they are off. So is the large crowd, which is already standing, buzzing with the impatient thrill of uncertainty.

As the field passes the grandstand for the first time, Secretariat is ahead of just two stragglers.

“My God. Not another one of these,” Laurin mutters aloud. “I’m getting out of here.” Tweedy forcefully pulls on one of Laurin’s arms.

“You’ll stay here and face this with me,” she says.

Despite being so far behind, Ron, as opposed to Laurin, has no worries. Unlike in the Wood, he feels Secretariat take the bit and lets him run against it.

They move up to sixth, willingly passing horses and a riot of colorful jockey silks on the outside around the first turn. Down the backstretch, with Shecky Greene setting the pace, they are an unhurried fifth though, still nine lengths behind.

Sham, with jockey Laffit Pincay, is also on the move and flies to the lead turning for home.

But in a flash, Secretariat, still wide, is right there with him. For a hundred yards Secretariat and Sham race head-to-head. But Secretariat is stronger. Ron scrubs harder; the fans yell louder. With Ron waving his whip in front of Secretariat’s right eye, Secretariat responds willingly and moves determinedly in front by a head, then half a length, then clear for good, winning by two and a half lengths.

Once again Secretariat has outrun the wind.

Euphoria. Everyone is on their feet, a throat-choking ovation seems to go on forever. Secretariat has run his first quarter in :25 1/5 seconds, the second in :24 flat, the third in :23 4/5, the fourth in :23 2/5 and then the last quarter in an unbelievable Derby-record :23 flat.

In almost every race, the fractions get slower. When horses come from behind and seem to pick up speed, it is mostly an optical illusion. The leaders are simply passing tired horses.

Not Secretariat. He has just run every quarter faster than the one before, and the last one gives Secretariat a track record 1:59 2/5. He is the first horse to run the Derby in under two minutes. Just as incredible, Secretariat raced the last six furlongs in 1:10 1/5 — two seconds faster than Shecky Greene ran his first six furlongs.

Andrew Beyer of the Washington Star-News gives Secretariat a speed figure — the winning time compared to the existing track conditions — of 129, the highest he has ever given out.

The Meadow stable has won its second straight Derby; Ron is the first jockey in 71 years to do the same.

Ron unstraps his helmet and hoists it high into the fading skies.

Laurin and Tweedy embrace.

“This is the most pressure I have ever had on me,” says a relieved Laurin, who, for the first time in his life has needed sleeping pills. He is also battling ulcers.

“Sham was rolling, but I was flying,” beams Ron. “All I did was fasten the seat belt.” Angle Light, with fellow New Brunswick native John LeBlanc aboard, finishes 10th. The Nielsen television rating for the Derby is 16.5; half of the national audience was watching.

Curtis will be doing a book signing at Century Mile on May 6 for Thoroughbred Opening day and the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. Yves Turcotte will also be on hand for signing for the first hour (Yves will be working as a Steward that day as well).

The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty is available now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Chapters Indigo.