William J. "Bill" Hartack, age 74, died Monday, November 26, 2007. He was born on December 9, 1932, near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and died while on a hunting trip near Laredo, Texas, of natural causes due to heart disease.

Bill was a lifelong world renowned jockey and the winner of five Kentucky Derby races and winner of hundreds of stake races. He was the regular rider of Northern Dancer. Mr. Hartack was the leading money winner in North America several years in a row. In his latter years, he rode for several years in Hong Kong returning to the United States to become a racing official in the states of Illinois, Florida, and Louisiana. Upon his death, he was currently a racing official at the Shreveport, Louisiana, race track.

In addition to the above, Mr. Hartack rode at all major race tracks in the United States and abroad. He had hundreds of friends in the racing industry and was well respected. The racing industry has lost a true legend.

Visitation will be held from 12 noon until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 6, 2007, at Rekus Funeral Home in Iberia, Missouri. Funeral services will follow at 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home with Rev. Ron Orr officiating. He will be laid to rest at Iberia Cemetery in Iberia, Missouri, near the family farm of his close friend Garrett "Gary" Condra.

A memorial service will be held on December 10, 2007, at 2:00 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church and Learning Center, 254 Curtiss Parkway in Miami Springs, Florida. Retired Hall of Fame trainer T. J. Kelly, for whom Hartack frequently rode during his career, will provide the eulogy at the memorial.

Memorial contributions are suggested to the William Hartack Iberia Cemetery Memorial Fund, c/o Bank of Iberia, P. O. Box 205, Iberia, MO 65486

Any family, friends, or colleagues traveling through the state of Missouri may visit the Iberia Cemetery at any time to pay their respects to Bill.