Racing Hall of Fame jockey Bill Hartack ever rode and who won the inaugural running of the prestigious Woodward Stakes.
He was trained by Howard Hoffman, 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.
Although the media spotlight in 1954 was on Native Dancer, six-year-old Pet Bully ranked as one of the top horses competing in the United States.
That year Tommy Kelly took over as head trainer of the Chicago-based Rice stable and designated a promising young jockey named Bill Hartack as the rider for Pet Bully.