Onion (horse)
Encyclopedia
Onion was a U.S. 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...
whose victory in the 1973 Whitney Handicap
Whitney Handicap
The Whitney Handicap is an American Grade 1 handicap race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of 1⅛ miles. In 2007, the Breeders' Cup Ltd...
is considered to be among the most dramatic upsets in the history of horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
The chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
was bred and owned by Hobeau Farm, based outside of Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
, and was trained by Allen Jerkens. Onion was initially not considered a top-tier horse and the early part of his career was focused on lower grade non-stakes races. On July 24, 1973, Onion achieved his first claim to notability by breaking the Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
track record for a six-furlong race.
The Whitney Handicap upset
Jerkens entered Onion in the Whitney Handicap, which was receiving added attention because of the presence of SecretariatSecretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, the winner of the Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
, in his first race against older horses. Jerkens later stated that he was skeptical on whether Onion could defeat Secretariat, but he noted that Secretariat’s pre-race workout was flat and surmised the champion thoroughbred was not performing at his best.
The Whitney Handicap was held on August 4, 1973, at Saratoga in front of a record crowd of 30,119. Secretariat was the 1:10 favorite, with Onion a 5:1 second choice among bettors. Three other horses participated in the race.
When the race began, Jacinto Vasquez
Jacinto Vásquez
Jacinto Vásquez is a retired Hall of Fame thoroughbred jockey. He rode two Kentucky Derby winners, Foolish Pleasure in 1975 and Genuine Risk in 1980, but may be best known as the regular jockey for the great filly Ruffian.-Biography:...
, Onion’s 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:...
, took the early lead and never relinquished control. Secretariat, who was bumped against the rail in the course of the race by Eddie Belmonte
Eddie Belmonte
Eddie Belmonte is a retired jockey who competed at the highest levels in Thoroughbred horse racing in his native Puerto Rico and in the United States....
riding on West Coast Scout, attempted to overtake Onion during the latter part of the race. But by the 16th pole, Onion pulled ahead and won his first stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
by a length.
After the race, Secretariat’s jockey Ron Turcotte
Ron Turcotte
Ron Joseph Morel Turcotte, CM is a Hall of Fame thoroughbred race horse jockey best known as the rider of Secretariat, winner of the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973....
and trainer Lucien Laurin
Lucien Laurin
Lucien Laurin was a French-Canadian jockey and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer.-Life and career:...
debated the unexpected upset, with Laurin publicly questioning Turcotte’s handling of the race. Penny Tweedy
Penny Chenery
Helen Bates "Penny" Chenery Tweedy is an American sportswoman who bred and raced Secretariat, the 1973 winner of the Triple Crown...
, Secretariat’s owner, later acknowledged the horse was running a low-grade fever on the racing day, but agreed to keep him in the race because she felt he could triumph over the field. Even Vasquez noted Onion’s victory as a fluke, telling an interviewer: "I probably caught him on a bad day. Onion wasn't the same caliber. It's just that he loved Saratoga and had a good day."
Later career and retirement
Onion and Secretariat met for a second and final time on September 15, 1973, for the inaugural running of the $250,000 Marlboro Cup Invitational HandicapMarlboro Cup Invitational Handicap
The Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap was a Thoroughbred horse race first run in September 1973 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade 1 race for horses 3 years old and up, it was raced over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on a dirt track....
at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
. Secretariat had returned to full health by this time and won the race while setting a new world record of 1:45 2/5 for 1⅛ miles; Onion finished in fourth place.
Onion never won another stakes race, and his post-Whitney career was undistinguished and troubled with injuries. Before his retirement in 1977, he was running in low-grade claiming races. Onion was retired to Hobeau Farms and died on October 24, 1995.