About Bill Hartack
William John Hartack Jr., a Hall of Fame jockey who was born in Colver, Pennsylvania on December 9, 1932 and passed away on November 26, 2007, had an estimated net worth of $1 million. Bill Hartack, a five-time Kentucky Derby champion and a member of the Hall of Fame, passed away on November 27, 2007, at the age of 74. He was discovered dead while on a hunting expedition in Texas from natural causes related to heart disease.
A five-time winner of the Kentucky Derby:
He and Eddie Arcaro are the only two jockeys to have five Kentucky Derby victories. Additionally, he won the Belmont once and the Preakness three times each.
Two of his Derby victories stand out for distinctly different reasons. He rode Northern Dancer, a Canadian-bred colt who went on to become one of the world’s most productive sires, in 1964, but he also rode 1957 champion Iron Liege, who probably wouldn’t have won if Bill Shoemaker hadn’t misjudged the finish line and stood up in the irons on Gallant Man at the 1/16 pole.
An elite rider
From 1953 to 1974, Hartack competed in racing in North America, winning 4,272 of them for a 19.8% winning percentage. At the age of 19, he achieved his first victory at Waterford Park in West Virginia (now known as Mountaineer Race Track). He was the top earner in the country in 1956 and 1957, when he became the first rider to earn more than $3 million. His riding career came to an end in Hong Kong, and after he stopped competing, he started working as a steward at Louisiana Downs. He was the youngest individual ever admitted to the Racing Hall of Fame in 1959 when he was honored at the age of just 26.
Prime Mounts:
Northern Dancer, Kelso, Round Table, Tim Tam, Majestic Price, and Carry Back were a few of Hartack’s best mounts.
He won the Kentucky Derby with Iron Liege in 1957, Venetian Way in 1960, Decidedly in 1962, Northern Dancer in 1964, and Majestic Prince in 1969.
Hartack Recalls:
Mike Stidham, a trainer, whose father George served as Hartack’s agent and owned the hunting lodge he frequented every year, stated, “My hero was him. I was present when he and Majestic Prince won the 1969 Derby. His company was wonderful when I was growing up. He had a child’s spirit.”
D. Wayne Lukas, a trainer, said: “He was fiercely competitive and would not suffer fools. Any of those men who can do what he did have my admiration.”
In 2007, Hartack was discovered dead following what seemed to be a heart attack in a cabin at a camp close to the Texas town of Freer. Bill Hartack had a million dollar net worth at the time of his passing.
