Baladeen finds good spot for first race vs. winners

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chris Hartman is a serious horseplayer as well as a successful trainer. When Churchill Downs is in session, he’ll spend his mornings on a clocker stand and his afternoons in the Gold Room, all the while trying to leverage one area of expertise into the other.

Hartman wastes little time in trying to find the proper spots for his horses, and that’s what led him to run a 2-year-old named Baladeen for a $62,500 claiming tag when he took his stable to Del Mar this summer. The colt had been well beaten twice in maiden special weight races.

“If you look at some of the horses that beat him, I really threw him to the wolves starting out,” said Hartman. “He did run well enough in breaking his maiden at Del Mar last out that we were looking to run back” in the $350,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile on Sept. 3, “but he didn’t meet the specs after we got him off the van.”

Instead, Baladeen will make his first start since his Aug. 17 victory at Del Mar when breaking from the outside post in a field of seven 2-year-olds in the lone allowance on a 10-race program Friday at Churchill. First post is 12:45 p.m. Eastern, with the feature, a $45,000, first-level allowance to be run at six furlongs, set for 4:48.

“Looks like we found a pretty good spot,” said Hartman, who ended the Churchill spring meet on a 9-for-15 tear and started the 11-day September meet 2 for 4.

Foremost among the opposition to Baladeen is Chief Know It All, who rebounded off a poor debut to win his second start by 10 lengths, with both races coming at Indiana Grand. Chief Know It All will break from post 1 under the red-hot Florent Geroux.

Race 9

KEY CONTENDERS

Baladeen, by Bernardini

Last 3 Beyers: 68-26-48

◗ Hartman said “it was a really soft spot at Del Mar” when Baladeen turned things around with a 2 3/4-length triumph while running easily his best race yet.

Chief Know It All, by Flashy Bull

Last 2 Beyers: 73-32

◗ Bred and owned by the Mackin family of Louisville, this gray colt showed dramatic improvement and early speed when earning a field-high Beyer Speed Figure in his Aug. 31 romp at Indiana.

On the Lam, by Run Away and Hide

Last 2 Beyers: 67-61

◗ Illinois-bred homebred leaves restricted company and tries dirt for the first time for Brian Williamson after showing big speed on Polytrack at Arlington Park.