By Brian Mulligan

The Tin Man in a character in the fictional Land of Oz but the equine machine trained by Richard Mandella is no nuts and bolts creation, but an assassin that is still whipping butt and taking names at the venerable age of 9.

Last weekend he took the Grade 1 Shoemaker to add to his reputation and be one of the very few of his age to accomplish that feat in such a high thought of event. And he didn’t beat any cupcakes. This was a very good field with a lot of speed in there to discourage the champ using one of his most potent assets.

He is swiftly becoming a modern day John Henry, a marvel well into his twilight years and Man will try to duplicate John’s feat as the only 2-time Arlington Million winner.

He will try to defend his title in just over 2 months in Chicago and the word right now is be careful before betting against.

After the most recent win, Mandella was quick to praise the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Todd, to allow him to do the right thing by the horse and give him time to recoup and race when he was on the top of his game.

Man has now won 4 in a row, 6 of his last 7, but he has never won that 5^th in a row and so even in the waning years, he has a goal to shoot for and it’s a reachable goal.

Since he is already proven in Chicago, he will not be intimidated by any of the high profile runners that will show up to face him.

One of his best assets, besides the fact that he has a heart of gold, is that he can be placed anywhere and still perform. He came from 2^nd to last to bust through the N1X condition, he has won wire to wire a number of times, make that virtually 7 times in his career, and he can stalk and pounce like he did in the Shoemaker, when he sat a perfect 3 lengths off suspect speed.

Tin Man’s rider will not bite the hand that feeds him. He knows when to show his appreciation. Victor Espinoza: “I only have to put him in the right spot. A mile is not his distance. He will fight and he knows how to win. There aren’t that many horses at that age that run as good as him. He’s one of a kind. He runs like a young horse. This is definitely not his best distance, he wants to go longer, but he’s just too good a horse.”

And so is his teacher, Mandella, who set a record that may become like Joe Dimaggio’s when he won four Breeders’ Cup races on the same day.

Mandella after the latest victory: “He’s better now than he has ever been, loves what he’s doing, he’s confidant, and luckily he is healthy and sound.”

That could be bad news for those rivals that blow into the Windy City this summer.