Pet Bully 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

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 who was the first top quality horse that 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...

 jockey Bill Hartack

Bill Hartack

William John Hartack Jr. was a Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.Referred to by the media as both "Bill" and "Willie" during his racing career, Hartack grew up on his widowed father's farm in the Blacklick...

 ever road and who won the inaugural running of the prestigious Woodward Stakes

Woodward Stakes

The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...

.

Bred by Dan and Ada Rice

Dan and Ada Rice

Daniel F. Rice and his wife Ada L. Rice were American businesspeople, thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, and philanthropists. Dan Rice was educated in the public school system of Chicago, Illinois and spent two years at Depaul University and the University of Notre Dame. In 1919, he...

 at their Danada Farm on Old Frankfort Pike near Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

, Pet Bully raced under Mrs. Rice's name. Trained by Howard Hoffman

Howard Hoffman

Howard Hoffman is a voice actor and a radio imaging producer in Los Angeles, CA. He also operates the internet radio station . He was previously a host of Top 40 radio shows in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Providence, Phoenix and Houston....

, 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

San Luis Obispo Handicap

The San Luis Obispo Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one and one-half miles on the turf...

 at Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...

 in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

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Racing in California in 1953, Bill Shoemaker won three major races aboard Pet Bully at Hollywood Park Racetrack. They captured the Hollywood Premiere Handicap, Inglewood Handicap

Inglewood Handicap

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 up. A Grade III stakes, it is raced on turf at a distance of 11/16 miles...

 and the Lakes And Flowers Handicap.

Although the media spotlight in 1954 was on the great Native Dancer

Native Dancer

Native Dancer , nicknamed the Grey Ghost, was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in history, the first horse made famous through the medium of television. He was one of the best horses produced in USA after the war...

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

Thomas Joseph Kelly

Thomas Joseph Kelly is a United States Racing Hall of Fame trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses as well as an owner and breeder....

 took over as head trainer of the Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

-based Rice stable and designated a promising young jockey named Bill Hartack

Bill Hartack

William John Hartack Jr. was a Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.Referred to by the media as both "Bill" and "Willie" during his racing career, Hartack grew up on his widowed father's farm in the Blacklick...

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

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, including the inaugural running of the then one mile Woodward Stakes

Woodward Stakes

The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...

, and set a new Bowie Race Track

Bowie Race Track

The Bowie Race Track was a horse racing track located just outside the city limits of Bowie, Maryland. Opened October 1, 1914 by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Society, the racetrack was a major attraction in the area, serving the now defunct WB&A Railroad that drew passengers from New York,...

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

Retired to stud

Stud (animal)

A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...

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