The Tin Man (British horse)
The Tin Man is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, he did not race as a juvenile but showed promise as a three-year-old in 2015 when he won three minor races. He emerged as a top-class performer in the following year, taking the Leisure Stakes and the Hackwood Stakes before winning the Group 1 British Champions Sprint Stakes. He went on to win the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2017 before taking a second Leisure Stakes and the Haydock Sprint Cup in 2018. He failed to win as a seven-year-old but did finish second in the Sprint Cup.
Background
The Tin Man is a bay horse bred in Hertfordshire by Elizabeth and Ken Grundy. Having failed to sell as a foal the yearling colt was put up for auction at Tattersalls in October 2013 and was bought for 80,000 guineas by Anthony Stroud Bloodstock. He entered the ownership of the Fred Archer Racing - Ormonde syndicate and was sent into training with James Fanshawe at the Pegasus Stable in Newmarket, Suffolk. After being ridden by Jim Crowley on his debut he was partnered in all of his subsequent races by Tom Queally.He was the most successful racehorse sired by Equiano, a dual winner of the King's Stand Stakes. The Tin Man's dam Persario showed modest racing ability, winning two minor sprint races from nine attempts but did better as a broodmare, producing the top-class sprinter Deacon Blues. She was a femaale-line descendant of the French mare Nokka, a full-sister to Djebel.
Racing career
2015: three-year-old season
The Tin Man was unraced as a juvenile and began his track career in a maiden race over six furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse in May 2015 in which he started at odds of 8/1 and came home sixth of the seven runners. He was gelded shortly after the race. On 27 June, over the same course and distance he recorded his first success as he won by a length at odds of 7/1. The Tin Man followed up by winning a minor handicap race carrying 132 pounds at Doncaster in July and was then off the track for six weeks. He returned for a minor handicap at York in September in which he started favourite but finished eighth of the nineteen runners. On 2 October the gelding contested a slightly more important handicap at Ascot Racecourse and won in "impressive" style,taking the lead a furlong out and coming home four and a half lengths clear of his twelve opponents. For his final run of the year The Tin Man was stepped up sharply in class for the Group 1 British Champions Sprint Stakes at two weeks later over the same course and distance. Starting at ot odds of 10/1 he was in contention from the start and finished fourth of the twenty runners behind Muhaarar, Twilight Son and Danzeno.2016: four-year-old season
On 23 May, The Tin Man began his second campaign in the Listed Leisure Stakes over six furlongs at Windsor Racecourse. He was made the 3/1 favourite in a ten-runner field and won "decisively" by two lengths from the six-year-old gelding Watchable. After the race Fanshawe said "It's really good to get that first run under his belt. It's been quite hard to get him right as he had a few little niggles. We have ridden him for his turn of foot and when Tom pushed him he quickened up really well. He has got some big entries and he will get better with age, but we will just box clever with him".He was strongly fancied for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot but ran poorly and finished eighth of the nine runners as Twilight Son who won from the Hong Kong challenger Gold-Fun. In July he started favourite for the Listed Hackwood Stakes at Newbury Racecourse and won by a head from the Mick Channon-trained Divine having being "tenderly ridden" by Queally in the closing stages. At Haydock Park on 3 September the gelding contested the 32Red Sprint Cup and finished second of the fourteen runners,beaten one and three quarter lengths by the three-year-old filly Quiet Reflection.
In the British Champions Sprint Stakes on 15 October The Tin Man started at odds of 13/2 in a thirteen-runner field. Quiet Reflection and Shalaa started 4/1 joint-favourites while the other runners included Twilight Son, Mecca's Angel, Librisa Breeze, Signs of Blessing, Brando and Donjuan Triumphant. The field broke into two distinct groups with Signs of Blessing, Don't Touch and The Tin Man racing up the centre of the course while the other runners raced up the stands side. Signs of Blessing looked the likely winner entering the final approaching the final furlong but The Tin Man produced a strong late run, gained the advantage 100 yards out and won by a length from the 50/1 outsider Growl. After the race James Fanshawe explained the horse's improved form and previous training problems: "All year it has been stop-start with him, he had a problem in the spring and I’ve not been able to get him ready. We didn’t have the smoothest run going to Ascot, then we had a small problem after that and before his next race we had the coughing".
In the 2016 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The Tin Man was given a rating of 117, making him the 110th best horse in the world and the third best sprinter in Europe.
2017: five-year-old season
The Tin Man began his third season in the Duke of York Stakes on 17 May in which he finished fifth of the twelve runners behind Tasleet. On 24 June at Royal Ascot the gelding made his second attempt to win the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and started at odds of 9/2 in a nineteen-runner field. Limato started favourite while the other contenders included Tasleet, Magical Memory, Librisa Breeze, Growl, Suedois and The Right Man. The Tin Man raced in mid division as the outsider Kachy set the pace and was then switched to the inside to obtain a clear run approaching the final furlong. The closing stages of the race saw a three-way struggle involving The Tin Man, Tasleet on the outside and Limato racing racing between horses. On the line The Tin Man, who hung left in the last 100 yards prevailed by a neck from Tasleet with Limato three quarters of a length back in third place. James Fanshawe commented "That was a huge relief, as he shows absolutely nothing at home. The biggest clue he gives you is when he ducks out of the way of a leaf on the way home or something like that, and he has been being doing that a bit more regularly recently. He loves Ascot as that is the third time he has won here. It suits his style as he likes to come from off the pace and his acceleration really comes to the fore here". After an inquiry by the racecourse stewards Queally was given a two-day ban for "careless riding" but the result was left unaltered.In the July Cup at Newmarket Racecourse on 15 July The Tin Man failed to reproduce his best form as he came home eighth of the ten finishers behind Harry Angel. He then ran third to Harry Angel in the Haydock Sprint Cup and before contesting the British Champions Sprint Stakes for the third time on 21 October. On this occasion he started at odds of 9/1 in a twelve-runner field and finished fifth behind Librisa Breeze, Tasleet, Caravaggio and Harry Angel. The Tin Man was scheduled to end his season with a run in the Hong Kong Sprint in December but arrived in Hong Kong with a high temperature, had to be medicated, and was withdrawn from the race.
In the 2017 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The Tin Man was again given a rating of 117, making him the 129th best horse in the world and the sixth best sprinter in Europe.
2018: six-year-old season
The Tin Man's first appearance of 2018 was in the Leisure Stakes at Windsor on 21 May for which he started the 7/4 favourite. After being held up at the rear of the field he took the lead a furlong out and repeated his 2016 success as he won by a length from D'bai. In the 2018 edition of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes the gelding started the 5/1 fourth choice in the betting behind Harry Angel, Merchant Navy and Redkirk Warrior. He recovered from being hampered two furlongs out and finished well to take fourth place, just over a length behind the winner Merchant Navy. After running eighteen consecutive races over six furlongs in England, The Tin Man was moved up slightly in trip and sent to France for the Prix Maurice de Gheest over 1300 metres at Deauville Racecourse on 5 August and finished third of the twenty runners behind Polydream and James Garfield.On 8 September The Tin Man made his third attempt to win the Sprint Cup at Haydock and started the 7/1 third choice alongside Sir Dancealot and behind Harry Angel and Tasleet. The other runners included Brando, Donjuan Triumphant, Speak In Colours, Eqtidaar and Sands of Mali. Ridden for the first time by Oisin Murphy he settled in mid-division before making progress in the last quarter mile. He took the lead a furlong out and kept on well to win by half a length and a neck from Brando and Gustav Klimt. Murphy, who received a two day suspension for excessive use of the whip, commented "I'm very lucky to have found so many good horses in a short space of time. This was great. I've been looking forward to riding him all week. The race didn't really go to plan—I didn't travel great early—but he's a very good horse who deserves it. I got the call at the start of the week, and then I had a few sleepless nights as I really believed the horse could win. You have to enjoy these days because they don't happen all the time".
The Tin Man's fourth run in the British Champions Sprint Stakes saw him start the 3/1 favourite in a fourteen-runner field on 20 October. He started poorly and never looked likely to win, coming home seventh behind the upset winner Sands of Mali.