OPELOUSAS, La. – The summer in South Louisiana started out mildly enough, but lately, the mercury has climbed back to its balmy seasonal norms. The same could be said for trainer Troy Hardy. After beginning the season with two wins from his first 20 starters, the Cecilia, La., native’s winning percentage has risen quicker than the temperatures. He is 9 for 24 since, including 7 of his last 11. “Things are just going good right now,” Hardy said. “We’ve been able to claim some horses, and the races have been falling just right. The game is like that. You get on a roll and things go your way.” Hardy may hint that fate has played a role in his recent success, but it is far more likely his horsemanship primarily is responsible. One of his acquisitions through the claim box this season has been Richmar. Since Hardy haltered the 7-year-old out of a $4,000 claiming race May 1, Richmar has put together back-to-back victories against solid optional starter-allowance company. The latest came after he battled through not one but two speed duels before kicking clear by 3 1/2 lengths. “He’s exactly the kind of horse we like to claim,” said Hardy. “He’s got some back class to him. He’s sound, he’s consistent, and his numbers are good.” Hardy said he spends as much time and effort on a horse’s mental condition as he does its physical condition. “When I get a horse, I like to jog him a couple of times a week, pony him a couple of times, feed him good, get him happy. You get a horse happy, and you are going to make him better.” It was a childhood memory, Hardy said, that got him into the training business. “We always had trail horses, barrel horses, when I was young, but when I was 7, my dad and brother got a racehorse. I grew up, got through school, and really didn’t find anything I really liked job-wise. I bought a horse, which I learned how to train, started winning some races, and people started asking me, ‘Will you train mine?’ So here I am with 22 head. I’ve got some great owners that allow me to go after the right kind of horse, which you have to have here to be successful.”