1810: three-year-old season Whalebone's first career start occurred on 9 May at
Newmarket where Whalebone ran a
dead heat and won the 50-guinea Newmarket Stakes, beating the colts Brother to Burleigh (Treasurer) and Eccleston while carrying 119 pounds. On 7 June at Epsom, Whalebone won the
Derby Stakes, beating The Dandy, Eccleston and a field of eight other horses after leading from the start in a race where he "was never headed." He was the race favorite at 5 to 2, and his Derby win was a consecutive victory for the
Duke of Grafton who had won the race the previous year with his colt
Pope. Pope was also sired by
Waxy and was out of Whalebone's maternal grandam
Prunella. and
walked over for a 25-guinea subscription stakes. On 29 October at
Houghton, Whalebone was beaten in a
match race by the colt Treasurer while carrying seven more pounds than his opponent. A few days later at the same meeting Whalebone secured two wins in match races, beating Major Wheatley's colt Sir Marrinel while carrying eight pounds more than his opponent and beating the colt Thorn a day later. He also received forfeitures of 100 guineas from Mr. Shakespear's Knave of Clubs and an unspecified amount from
G. H. Cavendish's colt Florival.
1811: four-year-old season after his racing career and stood his entire breeding career at
Petworth House. The horse statue on the table to the right of Egremont depicts Whalebone. In May, Whalebone received 60 guineas forfeiture from Mr. Henry Vansittart's colt Gloster. On 6 August at
Huntingdon, Whalebone was third in the Portholme Stakes to the filly Barrosa and the colt Bolter. For the Newmarket Trial Stakes on 30 September, Whalebone was third to the colt Florival and the filly Sprightly. Whalebone won the 100-guinea King's Plate a few days later, and at the Second October Meeting, received a forfeit from major Wilson's colt Erebus and was unplaced for the Cheveley Stakes. In November he received 140 guineas forfeit from Mr. Shakespear's colt Tumbler.
1812–1813: five and six-year-old seasons At the Newmarket-Craven Meeting, Whalebone was beaten in a match race by Major Wilson's colt Bolter. In April at Newmarket, Whalebone won the 100-guinea King's Plate and was third in a 300-guinea sweepstakes race to the colts Trophonius (not the
2000 Guineas winner) and Invalid. In July at Newmarket, he won a £50 race and paid a 10-guinea forfeit for a handicap sweepstakes. On 9 September at
Northampton, Whalebone won a 100-guinea gold cup race against four other horses. Whalebone was sold by the
Duke of Grafton in October 1812 to Mr. Ladbroke for 700 guineas. Whalebone's first start under Ladbroke's ownership was on 26 October at the
Houghton meeting where he won a match race against Mr. Lake's two-year-old colt Turner. Whalebone won an additional match race against the
Lord Sackville's horse
Pan at the same meeting. Whalebone ran three times in 1813, winning the 100-guinea His Majesty's Plate on 8 June at
Guildford against three other horses and the
Lewes His Majesty's Plate on 5 August. On 7 August, in what was ultimately the last start of Whalebone's racing career, he won the 60-guinea Ladies' Plate against Lord Somerset's colt Offa's Dyke.
Interim Ladbroke reportedly "took a dislike to Whalebone" Whalebone was initially thought to be a poor stud prospect due to his small stature and Lord Egremont put him back into training. Consequently, he was permanently retired from racing and became a breeding stallion for Lord Egremont in 1815. ==Stud career==