Hartmann, Mitchell riding hot streak at Churchill Downs

Not all win streaks are the same.

Chris Hartman won six straight races at Churchill Downs last week, and considering none were favored, he’s in the midst of a remarkable run.

With last week’s win explosion, Hartman jumped to second in the trainer standings. He’s hitting at 44% clip, posting a 25-11-5-0 record during the spring meet. Mitchell Murrill has been the primary rider, guiding all 11 winners.

The current streak began with allowance winners Elle Z and Loopallu last Thursday, the latter returning a $14.60 mutuel. Double Tough got up at 5-1 to take a $20,000 claimer on Friday. The following afternoon, Nifty comfortably proved best in a $40,000 claimer, and Edge to Edge rallied to prevail at 9-1 odds in a starter allowance.

Necker Island, who provided Hartman with his first Kentucky Derby (G1) starter in 2020, capped the special four-day stretch when scoring at 5-2 in a Sunday allowance.

Hartman will seek to continue the winning ways with a pair of horses on Thursday, June 10. Murrill is named on Lady of Luxury, who must draw in from the also-eligible list in the 3rd race. Corey Lanerie will be up on Cabertoss, the 8-5 morning line favorite in the 4th race.

Hartman’s horses are in-form and well-spotted. His barn isn’t adverse to cold streaks – he lost 27 straight over a three-week period earlier this year – but Hartman is firing on all cylinders presently.

Murrill, who went six-for-63 during the 2020 spring meet, is now sixth in the jockey standings with 14 total wins.