match race in saratoga 70s

Question
i grew up in saratoga and seem to remember a match race w/secretariat vs.
onion....what year, who won and by how much.describe the race if possible and
what happened to both horses afterwards?  thanks a lot

Answer
Hi Daniel:

On August 4, 1973, Secretariat ran in the Grade II Whitney Stakes at Saratoga and lost to Onion by a length.  Onion sprinted to a clear early lead and made a relatively easy pace while holding off Secretariat at the end.  There were a total of five horses in the field that day.  Interestingly, it was Secretariat's first test against older horses; he had only run against 3-year olds prior to the defeat.  Also, Secretariat broke thru the starting gate prior to the beginning of the race.  This may have caused the defeat, more so than Onion's racing prowess on that day.

Secretariat ran four more races after this one, winning three and finishing second to Prove Out, in the Woodward, at Belmont.  Fittingly, Secretariat turned the tables on his conqueror, Onion, when Secretariat won the Marlboro Stakes in September of '73, just six weeks after the upset in the Whitney.

Hope this helps!


Brad Adler
www.superthoroughbred.com