Bill Hartack Dies; Tied With Eddie Arcaro As 5-Time Kentucky Derby Winners

Associated Press:

"Freer, Texas - Bill Hartack, a Hall of Fame jockey and five-time Kentucky Derby winner, died while on a hunting vacation. He was 74. Hartack died Monday night from natural causes due to heart disease, said Dr. Corinne Stern, the chief medical examiner in Webb County in Texas.

"Mr. Hartack and fellow Hall of Fame rider Eddie Arcaro are the only jockeys to win the Kentucky Derby five times. Known for his burning desire to win every single race, Mr. Hartack won his first Derby with Iron Liege in 1957. He then won with Venetian Way in 1960, Decidedly in 1962, Northern Dancer in 1964, and Majestic Prince in 1969.

"In winning the '57 Derby, he was the beneficiary of perhaps the greatest goof in racing history - when Bill Shoemaker misjudged the finish line aboard Gallant Man and stood in celebration as Iron Liege passed, winning by a nose.

"'He was my idol,' said trainer Mike Stidham, whose father, George, was Mr. Hartack's agent. 'I was at the '69 Derby when he won with Majestic Prince. He was a great person to grow up around. He was a kid at heart.'

"Mr. Hartack, considered among the fiercest riders in the game, rode until 1974 and had 4,272 wins from 21,535 mounts, winning nearly 20 percent of his races. He won the Preakness aboard Fabius in 1956, Northern Dancer in 1964, and Majestic Prince in 1969. He won the Belmont Stakes once, with Celtic Ash in 1960. He later rode in Hong Kong from 1978 to 1980.

"After his retirement, he worked on network television as a racing analyst, then later was a racing official in California, Illinois, and Louisiana and spent some time as a jockey agent. He had recently worked as a steward at Harrah's Louisiana Downs racetrack in Bossier City, La. 'When I first came to this country and met him, it was like meeting a superstar - he was a jockey everyone had heard about,' said Angel Cordero, another Hall of Fame jockey. 'He was very smart. And he was amazing with the whip - he could hit a horse left-handed coming around the turn, and the horse would never go out.'"

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