At Million, patience pays off
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – When it comes to the top horse in their stable, Aury and Ralph Todd always have shown an extraordinary amount of patience.
Why, just naming him took longer than it should have. Eight years ago, the Todds kept submitting names to the Jockey Club for their new colt, a son of Triple Crown winner Affirmed.
Each time, the name was returned because another horse already owned it. So one day, Ralph Todd saw footage from "The Wizard of Oz" and sarcastically suggested the name The Tin Man.
It surely would be rejected.
The Todds sent it in anyway.
"It was more of a frustration thing," Ralph Todd remembered. "[But] I turned it in and by golly they took it."
Nothing has come easy for The Tin Man since. That is, until Saturday, when the 8-year-old gelding cruised to a wire-to-wire victory in a slow-paced Arlington Million.
In doing so, The Tin Man became the second-oldest winner in Million history, finishing only behind the legendary John Henry, who won his second Million at age 9 in 1984.
He also provided a rare positive headline to Arlington Park, which has battled the stigma of having 18 horses euthanized after breakdowns in races this season.
"He's been around a long time," trainer Richard Mandella said of The Tin Man. "He's a pretty cool guy."
For their part, so are Mandella and the Todds. In a business where Triple Crown stakes and purse-hungry owners sometimes rush horses into dangerous situations, those who care for The Tin Man show that patience can make perfect.
As a 2-year-old, The Tin Man went unraced, the victim of two tendons that partially tore and became bowed. The injury is a potential career ender.
But the rest allowed the horse to become a stakes winner by the age of 4, winning two Grade I races at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park.
At the age of 5, The Tin Man won a Grade II race at Santa Anita and was entered in his first Arlington Million, finishing sixth after weakening late.
The next season he wrenched the ankle on his front right leg. With breeding out of the question, the only course for The Tin Man was rest.
And lots of it.
On Mandella's recommendation, the Todds allowed The Tin Man to miss almost all of 2005 while recuperating.
"I don't know how many times the vet says give him three months and [Mandella] says 'How about five?' " said Ralph Todd, a businessman who lives in California. "I say that's fine, whatever you want.
"[That approach has] really, really worked well for us with a variety of horses. If they're not going to heal up when you give them an excessive amount of time, they're sure not going to heal up when you run them in there shorter."
As The Tin Man recovered, Mandella recognized that his charge healed differently from most horses.
"He's had some injuries that would have stopped most horses along the way," Mandella said. "His body must have a great ability to heal himself, because he's overcome all his problems, and now he's the soundest horse in the barn."
The Tin Man returned in 2005 with an allowance victory at the Santa Anita turf course. He won another Grade II race in January, finished second in a Grade I race in the United Arab Emirates in March and then won a Grade II race at Hollywood Park at the beginning of July.
That triumph led into Saturday's 1 1/4-mile turf race, where The Tin Man went off at 5-1, bursting quickly from the gate and establishing an early presence along the rail.
Allowed to set a slow pace, The Tin Man and jockey Victor Espinoza reached the first pole in a creeping time of 24.75 seconds. The second pole came in 50.37, giving Espinoza the idea that his horse had not overextended himself and had more than enough left for a win.
From there it was easy. While second-place Cacique made a half-hearted bid on the final turn, The Tin Man wasn't going to be denied by the younger field.
"On the first turn, I knew the pace was slow," said Espinoza, who rode War Emblem to victory in the 2002 Kentucky Derby. "Then, turning for home when no one was coming to me, I knew we were going to win the race. "
Luckily for the Todds, their horse had no problem crossing the finish line. In 2002, The Tin Man raced in the Breeder's Cup turf race at Arlington and was spooked in training by a light near the finish line.
"He crawled under the finish line [in the race]," Mandella remembered.
But that wasn't the case Saturday, which turned out to be a day that reminded the racing community that younger isn't necessarily faster.
"Just wait until he's 10," Mandella joked.
No doubt the Todds will do just that.
– Kevin Kaduk is the Northwest Herald's sports columnist. Reach him at kkaduk@nwnewsgroup.com.
http://www.nwherald.com/SportsSection/kaduk/318204826718834.php
Why, just naming him took longer than it should have. Eight years ago, the Todds kept submitting names to the Jockey Club for their new colt, a son of Triple Crown winner Affirmed.
Each time, the name was returned because another horse already owned it. So one day, Ralph Todd saw footage from "The Wizard of Oz" and sarcastically suggested the name The Tin Man.
It surely would be rejected.
The Todds sent it in anyway.
"It was more of a frustration thing," Ralph Todd remembered. "[But] I turned it in and by golly they took it."
Nothing has come easy for The Tin Man since. That is, until Saturday, when the 8-year-old gelding cruised to a wire-to-wire victory in a slow-paced Arlington Million.
In doing so, The Tin Man became the second-oldest winner in Million history, finishing only behind the legendary John Henry, who won his second Million at age 9 in 1984.
He also provided a rare positive headline to Arlington Park, which has battled the stigma of having 18 horses euthanized after breakdowns in races this season.
"He's been around a long time," trainer Richard Mandella said of The Tin Man. "He's a pretty cool guy."
For their part, so are Mandella and the Todds. In a business where Triple Crown stakes and purse-hungry owners sometimes rush horses into dangerous situations, those who care for The Tin Man show that patience can make perfect.
As a 2-year-old, The Tin Man went unraced, the victim of two tendons that partially tore and became bowed. The injury is a potential career ender.
But the rest allowed the horse to become a stakes winner by the age of 4, winning two Grade I races at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park.
At the age of 5, The Tin Man won a Grade II race at Santa Anita and was entered in his first Arlington Million, finishing sixth after weakening late.
The next season he wrenched the ankle on his front right leg. With breeding out of the question, the only course for The Tin Man was rest.
And lots of it.
On Mandella's recommendation, the Todds allowed The Tin Man to miss almost all of 2005 while recuperating.
"I don't know how many times the vet says give him three months and [Mandella] says 'How about five?' " said Ralph Todd, a businessman who lives in California. "I say that's fine, whatever you want.
"[That approach has] really, really worked well for us with a variety of horses. If they're not going to heal up when you give them an excessive amount of time, they're sure not going to heal up when you run them in there shorter."
As The Tin Man recovered, Mandella recognized that his charge healed differently from most horses.
"He's had some injuries that would have stopped most horses along the way," Mandella said. "His body must have a great ability to heal himself, because he's overcome all his problems, and now he's the soundest horse in the barn."
The Tin Man returned in 2005 with an allowance victory at the Santa Anita turf course. He won another Grade II race in January, finished second in a Grade I race in the United Arab Emirates in March and then won a Grade II race at Hollywood Park at the beginning of July.
That triumph led into Saturday's 1 1/4-mile turf race, where The Tin Man went off at 5-1, bursting quickly from the gate and establishing an early presence along the rail.
Allowed to set a slow pace, The Tin Man and jockey Victor Espinoza reached the first pole in a creeping time of 24.75 seconds. The second pole came in 50.37, giving Espinoza the idea that his horse had not overextended himself and had more than enough left for a win.
From there it was easy. While second-place Cacique made a half-hearted bid on the final turn, The Tin Man wasn't going to be denied by the younger field.
"On the first turn, I knew the pace was slow," said Espinoza, who rode War Emblem to victory in the 2002 Kentucky Derby. "Then, turning for home when no one was coming to me, I knew we were going to win the race. "
Luckily for the Todds, their horse had no problem crossing the finish line. In 2002, The Tin Man raced in the Breeder's Cup turf race at Arlington and was spooked in training by a light near the finish line.
"He crawled under the finish line [in the race]," Mandella remembered.
But that wasn't the case Saturday, which turned out to be a day that reminded the racing community that younger isn't necessarily faster.
"Just wait until he's 10," Mandella joked.
No doubt the Todds will do just that.
– Kevin Kaduk is the Northwest Herald's sports columnist. Reach him at kkaduk@nwnewsgroup.com.
http://www.nwherald.com/SportsSection/kaduk/318204826718834.php
