Pet Bully (1948–1971) was an American

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. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who was the first top quality horse that U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey

Bill Hartack William John Hartack Jr. (December 9, 1932 – November 26, 2007), born in Colver, Pennsylvania, was a Hall of Fame jockey. Colver is in the northwestern part of Cambria Township, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Ebensburg, the county seat. ...

ever rode and who won the inaugural running of the prestigious Woodward Stakes.

Background

Bred by Dan and Ada Rice at their Danada Farm on Old Frankfort Pike near

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, Pet Bully raced under Mrs. Rice's name. He was trained by

Howard Hoffman Howard Hoffman (born October 6, 1954) is an American voice actor and a broadcast branding producer in New York, NY. He also operates the internet radio statio''Great Big Radio'' He was also a presenter of Contemporary Hit Radio shows in New Yo ...

Racing career

Pet Bully raced at age two but broke a bone in his foot which led to him missing his entire three-year-old season. At four, he returned to the track, winning eight of sixteen starts, most notably the Washington's Birthday Handicap at Santa Anita Park in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Racing in California in 1953, Bill Shoemaker won three major races aboard Pet Bully at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

. They captured the Hollywood Premiere Handicap,

Inglewood Handicap The Last Tycoon Stakes (formerly known as the Inglewood Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late April at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. First run in 1938, the race is open to horses three years old ...

and the Lakes And Flowers Handicap. Although the media spotlight in 1954 was on

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

, six-year-old Pet Bully ranked as one of the top horses competing in the United States. That year

Tommy Kelly Tommy Terrell Kelly (born December 27, 1980) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent i ...

took over as head trainer of the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-based Rice stable and designated a promising young jockey named

as the rider for Pet Bully. They won top handicap races in Chicago and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, including the inaugural running of the then one mile Woodward Stakes,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Q8oqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7MwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1085,552874&dq=pet-bully&hl=en and set a new

Bowie Race Track The Bowie Race Track was a horse racing track located just outside the city limits of Bowie, Maryland. The one mile oval racetrack, known as Prince George's Park, was opened October 1, 1914 under the auspices of the Southern Maryland Agricultural ...

track record for 5½ furlongs of 1:03. 2/5.

Stud record

Retired to stud duty, Pet Bully met with modest success as a sire.

References

{{reflist 1948 racehorse births 1971 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 20-a Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States