Saratoga: Tank steps up, seeks 4th stakes win in Belmont Derby
Arindel’s Florida homebred Tank has won three consecutive stakes and steadily improved ahead of Friday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational, a nine-furlong outer turf route for sophomores, on day two of the July 4th racing festival at Saratoga.
Trained by Carlos David, the Adios Charlie bay most recently took the 1 1/16-mile Not Surprising by three lengths in wire-to-wire fashion June 7 at Gulfstream Park. He entered from a prominent score in the state-bred Sophomore Turf in March at Tampa Bay Downs and the English Channel in May at Gulfstream.
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“After winning the Sophomore Turf at Tampa, he was kind of on his way up,” said David. “Then he won the English Channel and Not Surprising. This will be another step up in class, but he looks good in there. He is one with speed that can get the distance, so hopefully we get nice weather and another win under his belt.”
Tank makes his graded debut Friday with Luis Saez aboard from post 1, tabbed at morning-line odds of 12-1.
“Looking at the form, people will see how forwardly placed he is,” David said. “He can still be rated, he definitely can sit off the pace a little bit, it just depends on how the race goes. He’s left the 1 post before, so that doesn’t really bother me too much.”
David said Tank already has bulldozed through all of his original expectations.
“At first, he was running for 50 (thousand tag). We thought he’d be good enough for Florida, but then he ended up strong in open company,” David explained. “He definitely has proven himself a little bit, but this is another step up in class. He will really have to run to his full potential to be able to win.”
David also updated on Evolution, another Arindel Florida homebred, entered in Friday’s listed $150,000 Schuylerville, a six-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies. The Brethren chestnut graduated second-out gate-to-wire sprinting five furlongs on May 15 at Gulfstream.
“We have to take advantage of these 2-year-old races,” David said. “Everybody is kind of spread out with their 2-year-olds, so this makes sense after winning at Gulfstream Park. I think she is in a good spot. She has a little bit of speed, but that doesn’t mean she needs to be on the lead every time.”
Evolution breezed a bullet five furlongs in 1:01.05 on June 29 at Palm Meadows Training Center in company with multiple stakes-winning 3-year-old filly Win N Your In.
“She breezed with a stakes filly, Win N Your In, and she hung on at a good pace with the older 3-year-old filly,” David said. “That was a really nice workout.”
Evolution, with Saez named to ride, is tabbed at odds of 7-2 in the Schuylerville.