Ron Franklin (jockey)

Ron Franklin (December 20, 1959 – March 8, 2018) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. At age 19, he rode Spectacular Bid to wins at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. 
Franklin and Spectacular bid were off to the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in New York, where he would have won the Triple Crown, but finished third behind Coastal and Golden Act.
Franklin rode 1,403 winning mounts in 9,242 starts from 1978 to 1992, and won purses of more than $14 million.
Franklin died of lung cancer in Baltimore on March 8, 2018 at the age of 58.