The Tin Man (foaled 19 February 2012) 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 in his last two seasons but did finish second in the 2019 Sprint Cup. The Tin Man retired from racing after sustaining a leg injury in 2021.
Background
The Tin Man is a bay horse with white socks on his hind legs 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. The horse was named after the 19th-century jockey Fred Archer.
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 female-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 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 been "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.