On Trust was an American 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...

 racehorse whom the Bridgeport, Connecticut

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...

 Sunday Herald called "one of the most distinguised and durable performers to come out of the state of California." His dam was Torch Rose and his sire was Alibhai

Alibhai (horse)

Alibhai was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who was purchased by Hollywood movie mogul Louis B. Mayer for 3,200 guineas and brought to the United States. He was sired by Epsom Derby winner Hyperion who was a six-time leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland. Grandsire Gainsborough was the 1918...

, a British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 stallion who was imported by MGM Studios boss Louis B. Mayer

Louis B. Mayer

Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...

 to the United States to stand at his stud farm in Perris, California

Perris, California

Perris is a city in Riverside County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city population was 68,386, up from 36,189 at the 2000 census. The city is named in honor of Fred T. Perris, chief engineer of the California Southern Railroad...

. On Trust was bred by Mayer who raced him mid-way through his 1946 racing campaign at which time he sold the two-year-old to Earl Stice and his sons Rod and Gary, businessmen from Eagle Rock.

Trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...

 inductee William Molter

William Molter

William "Willie" Molter was an American Hall of Fame horse trainer in the sport of Thoroughbred racing.A native of Fredericksburg, Texas, Willie Molter began his career in horse racing as a jockey at racetracks across the Texas border in Mexico...

, On Trust earned his only win at age two in the California Homebred Stakes at Bay Meadows Racetrack.

Triple Crown races

At age three Ralph Neves

Ralph Neves

Ralph P. Neves was an American Hall of Fame jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. Born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Neves won 3,772 races, including 173 stakes, and was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in 1960...

 rode On Trust to a victory in February 1947 Santa Maria Handicap

Santa Maria Handicap

The Santa Maria Handicap is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...

 
that would put him on the path to that year's U.S. Triple Crown

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...

 series. Following his win in the most prestigious race for three-year olds on the West Coast

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

, the 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...

, On Trust would be sent off as the bettors second chice in 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...

 but finished fourth to Jet Pilot

Jet Pilot

Jet Pilot was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Purchased for US$41,000 at the Keeneland Yearling Sale by cosmetics queen Elizabeth Arden, he raced under her Maine Chance Farm colors. He was sired by the English champion and 1930 Epsom Derby winner, Blenheim II, and out of the mare Black Wave by...

 in the 1947 Kentucky Derby and second to Faultless

Faultless

Faultless was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1947 Preakness Stakes. Bred and raced by Calumet Farm, his dam, Unerring, was the 1939 American Co-Champion Three-Year-Old Filly. His sire was Calumet's preeminent stallion Bull Lea who was the sire of seven U.S...

 in the Preakness Stakes

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...

. He did not run in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes

Belmont Stakes

The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...

.

On Trust continued to compete at top levels into age six in 1950, a year when he equaled the Tanforan Racetrack

Tanforan Racetrack

Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno, California was a thoroughbred horse racing facility that operated from September 4, 1899 to July 31, 1964. Tanforan was constructed to serve a clientele from the nearby city of San Francisco. The facility was named after Toribio Tanforan, the grandson-in-law of Jose...

 track record

Track record

Track record means informally the collective recollections of the performance of a person or an organization; similarly to fame or publicity.The term track record may also refer to:*Track Records, an English record label...

 of 1:50 3/5 for a mile and an eighth on dirt.

Stallion duty

On Trust retired from racing in January of 1951 as California's leading money winner and sixth of all time in the United States. He was sent to stud

Horse breeding

Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...

 duty at the Circle J. R. Ranch near Corona, California

Corona, California

Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...

. On Trust met with only limited success as a sire. Perhaps the best runner among his progeny was Trackmaster, a winner of the 1955 California Derby

California Derby

The California Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held early in the year at Golden Gate Fields. An ungraded stakes, it's open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt...

 and 1956 Santa Anita Maturity.