The Tin Man (February 18, 1998 in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

– 2015) was an American

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. The

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

was sired by Affirmed, the

Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplis ...

winner, out of the unplaced Lizzie Rolfe by

Tom Rolfe Tom Rolfe (April 14, 1962 – June 12, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the leading colt of his generation in the United States, winning the Preakness Stakes and being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Hor ...

, who was an exceptional racehorse but a better broodmare sire. He was retired at the age of 9 due to complications following exploratory surgery on an ankle.

Breeding

A dark brown

, The Tin Man was bred and raced by Ralph and Aury Todd (who live in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

's Santa Ynez Valley). His sire never ran on grass, but his descendants proved themselves on the turf. Affirmed's daughter Flawlessly twice earned Eclipse Awards as Champion Grass Female, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. One of his top sons, Charlie Barley, was a Canadian Turf Champion. The Todds bought a mare called Dancin' Liz, by

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

. She became a stakes winner and a stakes producer, with foals including the

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

winner Oraibi, by Forli. She also dropped a Skywalker foal: the stakes-placed

Santero. Her

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

is The Tin Man's dam. The Tin Man was Lizzie Rolfe's ninth live foal. She died in 2000 giving birth to a full sister to The Tin Man. This sister is called She's a Rich Girl.

Early career

As a two-year-old, The Tin Man bowed both tendons, injuries that required surgical repair. This early injury sidelined him for a lengthy period. "He had some injuries that would've stopped some horses along the way," said trainer

Richard Mandella Richard Eugene Mandella (born November 5, 1950 in Altadena, California), is a Thoroughbred horse trainer and a member of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. Mandella's father, a blacksmith, introduced him to horses at an early age and while still in ...

,. "His body must have a great ability to overcome them." Mandella also decided to geld him. "I thought it might be a good idea to geld him for two reasons. First, it keeps them from developing that heavy chest, heavy neck, and that's 60 or 75 pounds of weight up front that you keep off. The second part was that he might behave himself better and have less chance to injure himself than a

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

would." At 4: He won the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship Stakes and the

American Handicap. He placed in the

Del Mar Handicap and came in third in the Grade III San Francisco Breeders' Cup. All of these races were on the turf. At 5: He won the

San Luis Obispo Handicap The San Luis Obispo Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one and one-half miles on the turf. A Grade II event, it offer ...

and placed in the

United Nations Handicap The United Nations Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on the turf held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event ...

. These races were also on the turf.

Later career

Due to an ankle injury suffered in the Hirsch, thereby incurring major soft-tissue damage, The Tin Man was away from the races for fifteen months. He spent that time at

River Edge Farm Martin J. Wygod (born February 1, 1940) is an American businessman and a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. Business career A business administration graduate from New York University, he joined a Wall Street stock brokerage firm b ...

near Buellton, California, where the Todds board their mares. The owners often went to see him. "He's a dandy," says Ralph Todd, "...we'd go to visit, and as soon as he saw us, he'd come right over." Mandella said, "When we started him back, he just got better and better." At 7: He won at Santa Anita Park in December 2005 in an allowance race in his first race back. At 8: In January 2006, he took the

San Marcos Handicap The San Marcos Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to horses aged four and older, it is raced on turf over a distance of one and o ...

. A runner up in the

Dubai Duty Free Stakes The Dubai Turf, known as Dubai Duty Free 1996 to 2014. is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,800 metres (1 mile 1 furlong) on the turf at Meydan Racecourse in Du ...

in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

, he then, ridden by

Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a Mexican jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has wo ...

, wired the

Arlington Million on turf and won the

American Handicap. After the Arlington Million, Mandella said he'd consider the 2006 running of the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

. (The Tin Man had twice run fourth in the BC Turf.) Mandella's win in the Arlington was his seventh attempt. "I've been trying to win this race for a long time, and it's nice to finally win it," said Mandella. "The Tin Man has been around for a long time. He's a pretty cool guy." With his second win in the September 30, 2006, Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship Stakes, The Tin Man reached $3,126,860 in earnings. He also beat John Henry's record as the oldest horse to win the Hirsch (known, in John's day, as the Oak Tree Turf).

opted to keep The Tin Man out of the

in 2006, saying he would start him in the

Citation Handicap The Seabiscuit Handicap is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles ( furlongs) on the turf track scheduled annually in late November at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, ...

for the first time. But after some disappointing workouts, Mandella gave his horse the rest of the year off. In 2006, The Tin Man was under consideration for

Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

honors.

2007 season

In early February 2007, The Tin Man re-entered training. He won the

Shoemaker Mile, Hollywood's Memorial Day feature, defeating

Kip Deville Kip Deville (May 3, 2003 – June 11, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse whose most important win came at age four in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Mile. He was an Eclipse Award finalist for American Champion Male Turf Horse in 2007. Backgr ...

for his fourth straight win. Sweeping wide from a position just off the pace entering the stretch, The Tin Man rallied and drew clear. With this win, he became the first horse in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

to win a Grade I stakes race at 9 since John's Call won two such races in 2000. "It's just phenomenal that he's stayed so good after all these years," said Mandella after the victory. On June 30, The Tin Man finished second in the American Invitational Handicap, losing by a head to the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian colt Out of Control. The Tin Man carried 10 more pounds, and Mandella said a key workout leading into the race had not gone well. "There was a loose horse on the track, and he didn't get much out of a work that he really needed." The Tin Man was the defending champion when he returned to the Arlington Million on August 11, 2007. No other horse in the 25 yr old signature race at

Arlington Park Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago regi ...

had ever won it back to back years, and only John Henry had won it at age 9. Going off as the betting favorite, he took the lead after the last turn, on the softer turf ground, but was overtaken by the Canadian

Jambalaya, losing by 3/4 of a length in a time of 2:04:76, paying $3.80 and $2.60, and elevating his career earnings to $3,613,780. His final start of 2007 - and final start of his career - took place in the Grade 1 Oak Tree $250k Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship Stakes held at Santa Anita October 6 at 1 miles. As the 3-5 favorite, he lost by one length to six-year-old Artiste Royal, who had previously been 0 for 9 in starts in the US. The Tin Man's 2007 record was 4 starts 1-3-0 with the victory being a Grade 1 and his second-place finishes being 2 Grade 1s and 1 Grade 2.

Surgery and retirement

The Tin Man emerged from his final race on October 6 with body soreness. Despite his age, Mandella hoped that the horse could return in 2008 and race as a 10-year-old. He was taken out of training and his owners sent him in for exploratory tests. Among the test findings were suggestions of possible damage to an ankle, which resulted in an exploratory arthroscopic procedure. On October 25, 2007, The Tin Man underwent the procedure without issue. However, when coming out of

anesthesia Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), ...

, he spooked and fractured his knee. The injury was serious enough for the owners and trainer to retire The Tin Man. They made the announcement on October 31, 2007. On April 14, 2008, The Tin Man arrived at Martin and Pam Wygod's River Edge Farm near Buellton, California. His movements are a bit constricted due to calcium deposits on his knee, but solutions were sought. "He's had trouble with that knee...it has definitely cramped his lifestyle a little bit, but he gets around fairly well," said Russell Drake, River Edge farm manager. "Right now, I've got him out in a big, grass paddock, and his main thing is to just eat and be happy for a while. He's just one of those upbeat little guys that loves to eat grass, be in the sun, and have a good time."The Horse: Veteran Campaigner The Tin Man Retired, Recovering from Fracture
/ref> The Tin Man died in April 2015.

References

The Tin Man's pedigree, with photo

NTRA bio

* ttp://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11925 The Horse May 23, 2008 "Veteran Campaigner The Tin Man Retired, Recovering from Fracture"

External links

"On the Muscle" documentary features The Tin Man's early years

The Tin Man in the 2007 Shoemaker Mile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tin Man (Horse) 1998 racehorse births 2015 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family A34 Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States