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WILLIAM HARTACK Hartack Tries Aaain in Calumet Silks Seeks Roses With Gen Duke Lost on Stables Fabius in 56 Determined Perfectionist With Only Four Campaigns Led Nation Last Two Years YearsBy By JOE HIRSCH HIRSCHCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky May 3 In December of 1932 when Willie Hartack was born Eddie Arcaro had al ¬ ready been riding for a year and onehalf This is Arcaros 21th season Hartacks sixth its Eddies 18th Derby Hartacks second Yet when the horses go to the post tomorrow for the 83rd Run for the Roses Hartack will be almost as impor ¬ tant a national turf figure as The Master himself himselfNo No other jockey in our time or any time has come so far so quickly as this 24yearold human dynamo from Pennsyl ¬ vania who plays everything he does to the hilt and is satisfied with nothing less than perfection Last year in his lirst Derby Hartack just missed with Fabius This year he rides the favorite Calumets Gen Duke its a circumstance that par ¬ allels his career 1956 Biggest Season SeasonHartack Hartack began riding late in 1952 at Waterford Park in West Virginia had his first winner with his third mount In 1953 his first full year in the saddle he scored with 350 horses was second in the national standings to Willie Shoemaker In 1954 he again placed to Shoemaker with 323 win ¬ ners In 1955 he won the title with 417 firsts and is the only boy other than Shoe to ride more than 400 winners in a single season Last year he gained his second crown with 347 firsts Toss out that month or two in 1952 and you find that Billy the Kid has averaged a most remark ¬ able 360 winners a year which is pretty fair country riding in any mans league leagueActually Actually 1956 was Hartacks biggest year despite the fact that he rode more winners during the 1955 campaign For one thing Hartacks mounts earned more money last season than those of any other rider in history 2343955 of which you can correctly estimate that he earned some 19 per cent In addition he was the coun ¬ trys leading rider from the standpoint of money won in stakes and feature events with 1028927 Thus Billy made a clean sweep of ridings triple crown races won money won and money won in stakes He is the only boy to do that since statistics have been kept keptBut But more important than mere figures is the fact that in 1956 Hartact actually began to come into his own as a mature money rider As he explained to this re ¬ porter in Baltimore last fall You know Ive always liked to ride on the front end where I could keep out of trouble This season 1956 Ive been coming off the pace a lot more particularly in important races Confidence means a lot Ive felt that I havent had to rush a good horse that I could call on him for a big move at the right time and that hed give it to me Its helped me a lot lotThe The magnificent ride that Billy turned in aboard Barbizon in last years Garden State is a perfect example of his profes ¬ sional growth Stuck with an outside post in a large field Hartack didnt hurry his horse but permitted him to find his best stride down the backstretch He picked his way carefully between horses on the turn then set Barbizon down for the drive through the middle of the homestretch and simply ran down Federal Hill in the final strides much as Dave Erb had run Fabius down in last years Derby DerbyIn In the Florida Derby this past March at Gulfstream Park Hartack turned in another superb performance with Gen Duke Herded out slightly on the turn by the clever Arcaro Hartack simply rode his mount on for several strides without ask ¬ ing him for anything while Arcaro pulled away toward the pacesetting Federal Hill Then when clear Billy dropped Gen Duke down for the drive and closed with a furious rush in a debonaire display of cal ¬ culated coolness that would have done credit to Gaylord Ravenal the legendary Mississippi River boat gambler of Show Boat fame fameA A thoroughly complex person there are no grays with the serious young Hartack only blacks and whites Whatever he is doing at the moment is the most impor ¬ tant thing in the world and he can be rude when interrupted Hes a restless bundle of energy rarely sits when he can stand rarely walks when he can run He has great physical strength and has held his own in impromptu wrestling matches matchesContinued Continued en Page 41 D Hartack in Quest Of Derby Victory VictoryTwoTime TwoTime National Jockey Champ to Pilot Gen Duke Second on Fabius in 1956 Continued from Page 72 D Dwith with men who outweigh him as much as 50 and 75 pounds poundsHe He is devoted to his profession more so than any other rider weve ever met He fumes when he doesnt win a race particularly aboard a favorite because he knows many people back his horses solely because of his presence ha the saddle Highly intelligent he gives trainers a most complete critique of each mount upon his return to the winners circle circlev v Hes thor ¬ oughly honest to the point of bruskness and refuses to go along with horsemen who are desperately creating excuses in their own minds for a horses mediocre showing showingHartack Hartack is a strong whip rider with either hand and yet he excels at the same type of skillful hand ride during the cli ¬ mactic stages of a race that has distin ¬ guished Arcaro from the majority of his colleagues Billy is also a great rail rider Hes gamer than Tracy as they say in the trade time and again he comes through narrow openings on the inside rushing in where angels and few other boys would fearto tread Has Respect for Arcaro ArcaroHe He has great respect for Arcaro as do most riders says he is particularly tough to pass within the legal limits and notes that The Master can hold a horse to ¬ gether near the finish with the touch of an artist artistAnd And yet with all his seriousness no one loves to let the good times roll any more than Billy the Kid who whooped it up in spectacular fashion all winter in the new home he purchased last year in Mi ¬ ami Hes an avid skin diver card player par driver record player dancer and ath ¬ lete who neither smokes nor drinks He owns a 175acre farm near Charles Town I IW W Va and has numerous investments in securities and annuities annuitiesA A compleat student of racing Hartack pours through an impressive list of maga ¬ zines and books each week and probably consumes Daily Racing Form and The Morning Telegraph each evening as care ¬ fully as the editors of these newspapers newspapersSince Since Arcaro came along the pike over a quarter century ago theres neyer been an ¬ other boy who resembles Eddie as much as Hartack1 does in so many ways He doesnt have all of Eddies graciousness and polish as yet but then hes only 24 and it took Eddie some time to acquire his savoire faire too So tomorrow the many thousands of American racing fans wholl pack historic Churchill Downs from the backstretch to the roof will not only see The Master himself in action but a facsimile thats better than reasonable in Billy the Kid
