Clyde Turk was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

 and trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

 of Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorses. He began riding horses in the 1920s and in 1929 was riding at the new Agua Caliente Racetrack

Agua Caliente Racetrack

The Agua Caliente Racetrack is a greyhound racing and former horse racing track in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It opened in December 1929 at a cost of $2.5 million.One year before, the Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel opened in June 1928....

 in Tijuana

Tijuana

Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. He competed at tracks throughout California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and at the newly built Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California

Arcadia, California

Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....

 he rode the first-ever winner for trainer Noble Threewitt

Noble Threewitt

Noble Threewitt was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who conditioned horses for seventy-five years before retiring on his ninety-sixth birthday...

 during the opening season in which he would also win important races such as the San Felipe Stakes

San Felipe Stakes

The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The San Felipe is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in mid-March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on dirt and currently...

 and Santa Margarita Handicap, the latter a race he would win three more times as a trainer.

In 1946, Turk retired from riding and turned to training Thoroughbreds as a career.

1967 Kentucky Derby

For owner Louis R. Rowan

Louis R. Rowan

Louis R. Rowan was an American businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder.A native of California, Rowan was educated in England. In 1968, along with Clement L. Hirsch and Dr. Jack Robbins, he co-founded the Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...

, Clyde Turk trained Ruken

Ruken

Ruken was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who competed at the highest levels in California and was the bettors third choice to win the 1967 Kentucky Derby. Bred and raced by Louis R. Rowan, Ruken was sired by Nasrullah's son Nashville who won the 1957 Lakes And Flowers and Palos Verdes Handicaps...

 to a win in the 1967 Santa Anita Derby

Santa Anita Derby

The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $1 million. Inaugurated in 1935, it is considered the most important West Coast stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby...

, the most important event for three-year-olds in California. At Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...

 they then won the Stepping Stone Purse

Stepping Stone Purse

The Stepping Stone Purse was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the latter part of April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky...

  which prompted bettors to make him their third choice for the Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...

 in which he would finish eighth.

Clyde Turk retired from racing on March 31, 1970. He was living in Yuba City, California

Yuba City, California

Yuba City is a Northern California city, founded in 1849. It is the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 64,925 at the 2010 census....

at the time of his death at age 87 in 1995.