Riding immortal Bill Hartack dies at 74
 

Found dead in Texas cabin where he had arrived for an annual hunting trip..



Marcus Hersch DRF obit:
http://www.drf.com/news/article/90630.html

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hartack

HOF page:
http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/jockey.asp?ID=189

Hartack winning 1956 Preakness on Fabius, over Needles (Newsreel footage.. Starts at 4:01 and continues to Nashua winning Camden H. breaking Citation's earning mark):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pZaJ1uEkxo

1964 Derby (:56-3:10 of Canadian TV report of Northern Dancer's death):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjA3-P3hpAY

Outstanding 1969 Preakness (Hartack-Majestic Prince; Baeza-Arts and Letters):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ1VB...eature=related

2 great articles from TIME..

1955 with Hartack on cover:
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,861684,00.html

1958 with Hialeah as the backdrop:
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,868261,00.html


AND.. Poster of Hartack TIME cover (pictured above) at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Willie-Hartack.../dp/B0002E63AA

Can you imagine that kind of coverage in the general media today? Fun to look back on where racing was in a different era.

--Dunbar

Wow, those are terrific, thanks! Talk about "old-time" race-writing :cool:

I grew up with and was good friends with his nephew who was a jocks agent in DE and MD who tragically passed away last year at the age of 44. Tough year for the family.

Thoroughly brilliant piece of writing by Jay Hovdey on Hartack in the DRF:
http://www.drf.com/news/article/90666.html

Has a throwback quality and features this Joe Hirsch confection from a SI article; akin to the prize in a Cracker Jack box:

"This is no simple boy, this Hartack," Hirsch's article concluded. "He hasn't fully learned to accept all the many obligations of success as yet. But then Arcaro, too, was a renowned wild one in his youth and matured into quite a man, respected wherever there was racing in this country. Hartack is the Arcaro of tomorrow, and tomorrow is almost today."

good stuff, i wonder if bill raced in so.cal.......