Robert Hack, a former trainer and longtime jockey agent in Northern California, died Aug. 12 at his home in Pleasanton. He had been battling emphysema and was 81.
He died with his family by his side and his 16-year-old dog, Pico, on his bed. “He died with his best friend beside him,” said Shirley Hack, Mr. Hack’s wife of 56 years.
Born in St. Louis but raised in San Francisco, Mr. Hack was introduced to the racetrack by his uncle, Clyde Turk, a jockey and trainer, and his father, Victor Hack, who worked as a foreman for Hall of Fame trainer William Molter, one of the leading conditioners in California in the 1940s and 1950s.
He trained horses for a few years before becoming a jockey agent in the 1950s, taking the book of Dick Beasley.
The roster of jockeys he booked mounts for includes Charlie Tohill, Bobby Jennings, Juan Gonzalez, William Delia, Enrique Munoz, Laffit Pincay Jr., Paul Nicolo, Joe Judice, Randy Schacht, Chad Schvaneveldt, and Roberto Gonzalez. Hack retired as an agent in April 2009 when Gonzalez, his longtime client, was injured in a spill.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Hack is survived by his two daughters, Kim Chanu and Karen Munoz, and his son, Robert Hack Jr. Services are pending.