Peas and Pie is slowly becoming a cult favourite on the racing scene but he is backing his reputation up with success.
The sprinter will aim for his sixth win in 22 starts when he starts from box six in Wednesday's Bulli Trials Tuesdays-Fridays Stakes (400m) at the Illawarra track.
Trainer Joseph De Freitas said his charge’s name was a tribute to the culinary delights on offer at race meetings, especially in country areas.
“It’s like a throwback to the old treats people used to have at racing,” he said.
“We’ve had people at meetings shouting, ‘There’s Peas and Pie’ and ‘Where did you get the name from’.
“He’s got a bit of a following now.”
Peas and Pie certainly likes Bulli, having chalked up 13 placings in his first 16 outings at his home track.
De Freitas’s charge then had two decent outings over 520m at Wentworth Park, showing he’s not a one-track wonder.
A thyroid problem checked his progress but he’s returned to form in recent weeks, chalking up consecutive placings this month.
“He likes to roll of the corner on the home turn and come back in,” De Freitas said. “Being such a big track (at Bulli), he can do that.
“He handled Wentworth Park (as well) because of the camber and ran 30.18, which is not bad.
“His first sectionals are brilliant, but his run home (at 520m) is just a little below the top liners.”
Opposition is likely on Wednesday from Jayden Returns (box five), who has impressed recently.
The father-of-two certainly knows his stuff, having chalked up almost 60 Wentworth Park winners in a 35-year training career.
De Freitas (52) met his partner Annette Thomas through racing and splits his time between the Wollongong suburb of Cringila and Canowindra.
The Central West town is popularly known as the balloon capital of Australia owing to a large annual festival.
“When you wake up, have a coffee, see the balloons overhead and your dogs are running around the property having fun, it’s doesn’t get better than that,” De Freitas said.
“(Racing) is a rollercoaster. If you win a race, it keeps you going for a week. If you lose, it gets you down the same.
“The travel is great and you meet different people.
“I’ve been told by the best trainers that if you keep your greyhounds happy in the mind and fresh in the body, they’ll keep going. That’s what I try and do.”
The race is the fifth of ten on the card at Bulli and racing starts at 7.05pm.
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