Hartman Takes Aim at Del Mar

In his first serious try at Del Mar, trainer Chris Hartman knows he's going to be a target in the hypercompetitive claiming game at the seaside racetrack, but he's ready for a fight.

"I consider myself the bait, with sharks all around me," said the 43-year-old trainer, hours before he sends out two starters on the opening-day card at Del Mar. "I'm assuming that number goes down, starting with the first race."

Now based at Churchill Downs, the Phoenix, Ariz. native grew up at Turf Paradise with his father, trainer Stan Hartman, and gradually worked through the ranks at Southwest stops before breaking through for a surprise training title at Oaklawn Park in 2015, when he defeated the perennially powerful barn of Steve Asmussen with a stable of around 38 horses.

"I'll tell you what. We had 38 horses total and we outpunched Steve Asmussen," Hartman said in his trailer alongside the massive stable next to the Del Mar grandstand that he shares with Doug O'Neill and Patrick Gallagher. "That's not something you plan for."

Hartman admittedly isn't big on planning at all. With a plan, it would be hard to envision his path to Del Mar from his Phoenix roots. He's been to the San Diego County racetrack twice before with much smaller strings—last time was 2009—but he's coming in heavy in 2016 with a group of 18 horses. Hartman fully expects that number to go down opening day, with entrants Successful Runner and Madelyn's Wild Max likely to be claimed, but he's embraced a fighting spirit.

"We're going to have to counter-punch, that's for sure," Hartman said. "I'm a heavyweight boxer. I'm not going to sit back and take all the shots. We're going to come out swinging. They're going to get two of ours, so we're going to try to get three of theirs. That's the way you've got to do it."

The trainer could also make a splash later on in the meet with Black Hawk Stable's Alsvid, a three-time grade III winner, who also made the trip. The 7-year-old Officer gelding has won back-to-back editions of the six-furlong Aristides (gr. III) at Churchill, claimed the 2015 Count Fleet Sprint (gr. III) at Oaklawn, and most recently won the Kelly's Landing Stakes at Churchill July 2.

BALAN: Alsvid Repeats in Aristides Stakes

Unsurprisingly, Hartman wants to feel things out regarding Alsvid before committing to a Del Mar target, although he's considering the July 30 Bing Crosby (gr. I) and the Aug. 12 Green Flash Handicap at five furlongs on the turf course.

"Going to play along with him and see what happens. I'm going to play it by ear," Hartman said. "I want to see how he handles the track, because he can run on either. He can do just about anything we need him to do."

In line with everything else, Hartman resists setting hard goals for Del Mar. The relaxed, beach atmosphere also fits with his outlook—"I'm a flower shirt kind of guy," he said.

"If you expect something and don't get it, that's a letdown," Hartman said. "If you don't expect anything, guess what? You're not going to be let down."

There is no doubt, however, about his hunger for competition, which hasn't changed much since he purchased his first horse for $500 in the early 1990s, before he was old enough to get a trainer's license.

"It's been uphill, but we've been steadily going uphill," Hartman said. "The most natural step now is to keep getting better horses. I've got better horses now than I ever have."

"The target is on us. We knew when we showed up. I'm ready for a tussle."