Peta Gledhill's Up Hill Rise Continues

PREMIER Northern Rivers trainer John Dart will always have fond memories of a race bitch called Peta Gledhill.

The royally bred daughter of Fernando Bale-Lucy Lobster led throughout to win a 520m Novice at Albion Park on Thursday night defeating Southern Ripple and Wazza Queen in 30.42.

The bitch is raced by Anthony Andrews and a group of mates who paid $12,000 for her as a pup.

“She's only tiny and is such a timid bitch, but she chases and can run,” said Dart of the 24.9kg miniature.

“When she won her Maiden at Albion Park in June the boys backed her from $11 to start $4. We all had a very, very good win.”

Peta Gledhill had recently trialled 30.00 at Lismore which gave Dart and her owners confidence she would race well on Thursday night.

“She is such a timid bitch and I am slowly but surely getting her out of that,” said Dart. “I expect she will run further when she gets on a bit.”

The bitch is by champion Fernando Bale and her dam Lucy Lobster was a Group 1 winner herself.

Dart admits his kennel is down to 13 in work and he will soon build this up to 18 with some youngsters arriving after education.

“That will do me for a while now,” he said. “I've decided to cut back. We are still having a very good year and I don't have the numbers or the outstanding Group dogs like we have had in the past.”