The Tin Man was a dreamer -- until ...

The Tin Man was a dreamer -- until the worthy Witch of the Turf sprinkled enough moderate dust on the front expiration of the 24th running Saturday of the Arlington Million.

After setting front-end fractions that wouldn't have roused Toto from a storm-cellar snooze, trainer Richard Mandella's horse had more than enough left in the lane to coast to a one-length victory in the Grade I Chicago classic.

Ridden on Victor Espinoza -- last seen from Chicago leaving tail frets on the pirated War token in the 2002 Kentucky Derby -- the 8- year-old son of Affirmed clanged from one side quarter times of 24.75 secondarys 50.37 seconds and 1 minute, 1518 others en route to a positively ambling mile split of 1:3864 His final time for the 1OE- mile Million was an eminently respectable 2:0135 as he became the oldest horse to win the race since 9-year-old John Henry in 1984

"I couldn't believe [the tranquillity of the field] let him do that half [in 5037]" said Mandella, 56 who won his first Million in seven tries. "I'm no mathematician, still I knew that was suitable for us."

"On the first incline differently I knew the pace was slow" Espinoza said. "Turning for to one's home when no one was coming to me I knew we were going to win."

in the same manner did some in the announced host of 29,979, who dispatched the California-based grass veteran as the 5-1 fourth pick in the field of 10 The Tin Man paid $13 while easily holding along place horse Cacique (7-2) and gritty German panzer Soldier insincere (13-1), who was third.

"The winner caught an awfully big break up front" said former Arlington riding champ Rene Douglas, who guided Soldier false-hearted to his third-place finish. "My horse really tried, unless the pace was too dead I was hoping [Cacique] would make progress after him, but he didn't."

Said Todd Pletcher, the trainer of favored English Channel (2- 1) who lie at easeed home a gassed fourth: "It was a ridiculously heavy pace. Hats off to The Tin Man. He slowed it down enough and stayed. finis of story."

Actually, the beginning of the story came when Team Mandella caught an enormous break in starting from support 2. At the bell, Soldier insincere (Post 5) and Phoenix Reach (16-1 from seat 6) broke outward,

absolutely burying Patrick Biancone's flying Cosmonaut (Post 7). While over-reach Julien Leparoux tried to come by Cosmonaut up toward the face end, the chance of any great pace affair of honor had been extinguished, and The Tin Man was flowing independent and easy.

"We got a to a high degree bad start," Leparoux said. "After that, [Cosmonaut] ran a really useful race. But when you forfeit five lengths at the start, it's hard to overcome"

Edgar Prado, aboard Cacique (Post 9) base a seam before the first divert and tried to press The Tin Man. Ditto for John Velazquez, who was riding English Channel (Post 10) The Tin Man none led by more than 2oe long durations but it was more than enough of a sustained comfort belt for him to win.

"I was exactly where I wanted to be," Prado said. "But we couldn't catch the winner."

Said Velazquez: "[English Channel] didn't stop anything. We were there the whole time, on the other hand he didn't put in any effort at all. Just enough to be there, on the other hand not enough to run."

The victory portray by actioned yet another gold-leafed afternoon in the Hall of Fame career of Mandella. His handling and ardent sensitivity toward The Tin Man were the essentials as the resilient gelding brought family first money of $600,000 for possessors Ralph and Aury Todd. The victory was The Tin Man's fourth in five tries since he began a well-spaced comeback from a wrenched ankle be affected byed in late 2004.

"Richard is all about patience," said Ralph Todd, a businessman based in Southern California. "Where many trainers would push a horse, he will wait. I have been with him 25 years or in the way that now, and nothing he does anymore amazes me"

The Tin Man ran in the 2003 Million and flattened the pace before fading to sixth. Mandella also had started an 8-year-old in the Arlington centerpiece formerly before, saddling Sandpit to a second- place finish in 1997 behind Marlin.

"This is a horse that be pleased withs to run," Mandella said. "He also has the sort of superior circulatory hypothesis that seems to enable him to take rise back from injuries that might have cessationed the careers of other top horses. He bowed tendons when he was 2 and came back to forge a championship career. The ankle vexed questions two years ago would have expirationed a lot of other careers, especially because we were not at all going to run him [with] cheaper. Today, it was a great present to view in running and a great feeling of accomplishment to finally win an Arlington Million."

on the same level if it did take a kindly sprinkle of moderate dust from a Good Witch of the race-ground to transform The Tin Man from dreamer to champion.

jodonnell@suntimes.com

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