The new to video “Secretariat” deserves to be seen on the biggest, highest def screen a movie lover’s bank account can muster.
The film isn’t perfect, but director Randall Wallace captures the majesty of arguably the greatest horse to ever grace a race track.
WWTW recently participated in a virtual roundtable with legendary jockey Ron Morel Turcotte, the man who rode Secretariat to Triple Crown glory in 1973, and Otto Thorwarth, the actor who plays him in “Secretariat.”
Below are the highlights of the cyberchat.
Q – Otto, this is your first big acting role … do you see any similarities between horse racing in acting?
A - This was my first acting role, yes. And no, there aren’t many similarities between acting and racing. In racing you only get one shot when the gates open. With acting, luckily, I have several chances. In fact, John Malkovich’s advice to me was to take my time and take as many shots as I needed to get it right. That was a huge relief.
Q - Ron, we know that the owners, primarily Sham’s owner, was always talking bad about Secretariat before a race. But curious, was there any bad blood between you and Sham’s jockey before each race of the Triple Crown? Did he also try to antagonize or bother you during a race?
A - The jockey on Sham, Laffit Pincay, and I were friends all along. I rode there. We were both tough competitors, but there was no bad blood between us. He was a gentleman rider and a very clean rider. As tough as he was, he rode his horse, and just left everyone else alone. He minded his own business, as the same with myself.
Q – Ronnie, what was the greatest thing you learned from the real Secretariat?
A - I had ridden good horses but not as great as him. He was the greatest horse I rode and the fastest horse I ever saw run. As far as learning, I think I always thought that the duty of the jockey was to teach the horse how to run from the time he is young, not to fear any other horse, go beyond horses and come between horses, relax when I ask him to relax and pick-it-up when I ask him to. In all of that, Secretariat was my fastest learner. He was just beyond great.
Q – Ron, were you nervous about the notion of bringing this story to the big screen – and what eased your fears about the prospect of a “Secretariat” movie?
A - I was happy to see a “Secretariat”movie come out. Like most of everybody in racing, I would like to see more races in the film, but we have to understand that it was Mrs. Chenery’s life story, so I was very happy with the outcome.
Q – Otto, what was the toughest part of working on this film for you, shooting the racing sequences or doing the dialogue scenes?
A - Definitely the racing. It was a lot harder than I imagined. They were very adamant about all the horses being in the same spots as they were back in the day with the same amount of length in between each horse. Especially when you have 12 horses on set, this was tough. We tried to duplicate that as best as we could but it was certainly a challenge. The acting part was surprisingly very easy and fun. I really enjoyed the acting part.
Q - Otto, the real Penny Chenery was reportedly on the set quite a bit during filming. Can you talk about the effect that her presence had during shooting?
A - For me it meant a lot, because I wanted to hear her input. Every time I got to talk to her she was very pleased with my performance and knowledge of horses. I think because I started my profession from the bottom up (i.e., I started as a hot walker, then moved up to a groomer and then to jockey) and she was impressed with my knowledge of the business and of horses in general. We got along well.
Q – Ron, some sports have ebbed in popularity in recent years, like boxing and hockey. Horse racing endures. Why do you think people remain so fascinated by the sport?
A - I never miss a weekend race. I still watch all the big races and still travel throughout the US to watch the Belmont, the Derby… I still to this day go to the races. I think it’s because horses are so beautiful, and there is something about being outdoors, the lifestyle of horse racing, life on the farm, and just an overall sense of family atmosphere.
Q – Otto, how receptive were the cast/crew to suggestions you had during the shoot to improve the film’s authenticity?
A - They were very receptive. In fact Randall Wallace said to me the first day we were filming that if there was anything I saw that was inaccurate to what really happens in racing — to please speak up. There were a few instances where they did take my advice and made adjustments. They were very good about that.
Q – Otto, is it true that real jockeys were used for all the racing sequences? Can you talk about how those races were choreographed to look so real, and yet be “fixed” to replicate the results of several decades ago?
A - We had a bulletin board that they had color-coded thumb tacks on, where the horses needed to be positioned for us, and how far away we needed to be from the horse in front of you. That gave us a visual of what to go for. In some cases we needed to do a few takes, but after a few takes, we got it. And, in some scenes, they would even ask me for my opinion on which of the five horses on-set would be good/best to replicate that scene. So, it was very much a collaborative effort all around.
Q - Ron, this may be personal, but I hope you don’t mind me asking. I’ve read that Secretariat was very in-tuned with those close to him. You were very close to Secretariat, but what was your final time alone with him like and saying goodbye, did he know you two wouldn’t be together anymore?
A - It affected me a lot. I regret not going to the farm more often. The last time I rode him was in 1977. I called him and he came running. He knew me by the way I talked and walked. I used to grab the tip of his tongue and say ‘good morning’. When I called good morning, I always had to pat Secretariat first because he would become really jealous. Horses have feelings and they showed me their feelings. Many touching moments. I would always hold their head and give them a kiss. We’re prepared for that as jockeys. Jockey’s try not to get too attached. But sometimes, especially with Secretariat, I couldn’t help it.
(Photo: Jockey turned actor Otto Thorwarth plays Ronnie Turcotte in “Secretariat,” the dramatic retelling of the 1973 Triple Crown winner’s amazing career. Photo credit: John Bramley)
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a horseperson and have been all my life, thanks to my mother. Both of my parents were avid race fans. I rented the movie today and watched it with my husband of 38 years. He recalled watching the three races at my parents house as was tradition. We would put all the horses names in a hat and it cost five dollars per pick. For the Belmont my husband picked Secretariat. Needless to say he became a racing fan after that. Both my parents have passed away but watching the movie brought back such great memories. To this day I keep horses and actually have an Arab that has the exact same personality as Red. He lives to eat works when he wants, and will only soften to me. Thank you for such a great memory.
No, thank you for sharing your personal connection to both the film and Secretariat’s magical year.
I love the movie “Secretariat, and Mr. Thorwarth, your performance
was flawless. What an opportunity it must have been for you to play
the part of Ronnie, and to be apart of such a magnificent story. I love everything about horses, and I love to write about them. I wrote about Man o’ War, in my book “Blue Skies Above Life’s Storms.” I would like very much to write a poem about Secretariat, “The Horse of All Time.”