Last year was the 50th anniversary of SECRETARIAT Winning the Triple Crown. Big Red was moving like a tremendous machine that afternoon at Belmont Park, his Winning margin a whopping 31 lengths.
So, with the Belmont Stakes being held at Saratoga this year it’s fitting to recall when the superstar horse came to The Spa in the summer of 1973.
SECRETARIAT arrived in town the conquering hero, Winning all three legs of the Triple Crown in record breaking fashion, but even the G.O.A.T. wasn’t immune from the Graveyard of Favorites.
Less than two months after Winning the Triple Crown to cement his status as a cultural icon, SECRETARIAT was widely considered a lock to Win the 1973 Whitney Stakes.
After dominating each of the Triple Crown races SECRETARIAT appeared to be in top form for his return to Saratoga.
As a 2-year-old in the summer of 1972 Big Red began to emerge as a star. He was undefeated in three Saratoga races as a juvenile, including the Sanford and Hopeful.
But then along came ONION. Trained by Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens and ridden by Hall of Famer Jacinto Vasquez, ONION was the second betting choice at odds of 5 to 1 in the Whitney field of five.
SECRETARIAT, meanwhile, was overwhelmingly favored at odds of 1 to 10.
Although he was flying under most everyone’s radar, ONION was entering the Whitney off of a performance in which he set a 6½-furlong track record at Saratoga, albeit not in a Stakes race or against top competition.
A crowd of 30,119 was on hand that day for the Whitney– August 4, 1973.
At the bell Vasquez gunned ONION out of the gate and immediately went to the lead and never looked back.
SECRETARIAT raced in 3rd before moving up to 2nd on the inside rail exiting the final turn. ONION held off the challenge of the Triple Crown Champion to Win by a length.
ONION and SECRETARIAT met again on September 15, 1973, in the inaugural running of the $250,000 Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park.
SECRETARIAT didn’t get heartburn from ONION or anyone else in the field that day, romping to Victory while setting a new world record of 1:45²⁄₅ for 1⅛ miles. ONION finished 4th.
SECRETARIAT was retired at the end of the 1973 season with a record of 16 Wins from 21 starts.
While SECRETARIAT went on to the Hall of Fame and is considered by many the greatest racehorse of all time, ONION faded into obscurity.
ONION raced through 1977, but he never Won another Stakes race and completed his career with a record of 15 Wins from 54 starts.
But, he’ll always have Saratoga.
