The Tin Man Not Too Old
Affirmed Gelding Beaten Late in Third Hirsch Stakes by Artiste Royal
Trainer Richard Mandella thinks more horses would run well in their later years if owners extended their racing careers. The Tin Man is proof, not a freak of nature.
Going for his third Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship Stakes title, The Tin Man looked to gain control at the top of the stretch in the $250,000 1-1/4 miles event Oct. 6 at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.
The Tin Man, a gelding son of Triple Crown champion Affirmed, roared past Republican Hawk, but couldn't shake the challenge of Ireland's Artiste Royal. Jockey Victor Espinoza said The Tin Man had the trip he wanted. Trainer Richard Mandella echoed that thought. In a second place stalk, The Tin Man got his move, but the Ireland horse had a little better in the final one eighth of a mile.
Mandella said The Tin Man knows his business and is still at the top of his form at the age of nine. Other horses, he believes, would do as well, maturing into their professional bests, if owners would race them longer.
Of course, the breeding shed calls at an early age for most competitors. Geldings, however, have been famous for their racing longevity. Perfect Drift, Forego, John Henry, Phar Lap, Exterminator, and many other geldings had long, distinguished racing careers.
The Tin Man was attempting to capture his third Clement L. Hirsch Stakes. The gelding was given eight months rest after his triumph in the 2006 Hirsch Stakes. Since then, he won the Shoemaker Mile StakesMay 28th at Hollywood Park, placed second (by a head) in the American Invitational Handicap June 30th, and then second to Canadian Jambalaya in the Arlington Million Stakes Aug.11.
In 2006, The Tin Man won both the Hirsch and the Arlington.
This year's Arlington was run on soggy turf, Mandella said, which probably affected The Tin Man's effort. Mandella's attitude with the nine-year-old is to never ask more than he thinks the gelding can do. Before the Hirsch, Mandella said he'd like to see one of The Tin Man's best races if he is to point the gelding to the Breeders' Cup Turf at the end of this month.
Chances are good that Mandella saw what he'd hoped for to give the gelding the nod for the Breeders' Cup race. "He ran great...ran his heart out," Mandella commented.
Artiste Royal didn't get away for the win until the last furlong, while The Tin Man held fast to beat Isipingo by a neck for second place earnings.
The Ireland-bred Artiste Royal claimed his first graded stakes win in his seventh try in the United States. He finished third in the 2006 Hirsch run when The Tin Man triumphed. In 20 career starts, Artiste Royal boasts five wins.
