The Tin Man out to emulate his UK namesake

Punters who believe in coincidences will be putting their money on The Tin Man in Thursday’s fifth race at the Vaal.

Last Saturday at Haydock Park in the UK, a horse named The Tin Man won a grade 1 sprint at the Lancashire track, with trainer James Fanshawe’s speedster scoring in great style under jockey Oisin Murphy.

Connections of the SA version of The Tin Man will be racing for a much more paltry purse, but trainer David Nieuwenhuizen will just be happy to see his four-year-old back in the winning groove.

Amazingly, considering he finished third on his penultimate start, The Tin Man is quoted at 15-1 in early betting. World Sports Betting have Quattro, one of four runners from Grant Maroun’s stable, as the 4-1 favourite, followed by stablemate Singaswewin at 9-2 and Steve Moffatt’s Kick Butt at 11-2.

Ryan Munger, who won the last race at Durbanville on Tuesday, partners Quattro, who has been a good earner for the stable. The six-year-old has been placed in his last three outings. Stable companion Singaswewin has had two second placings in his past three starts and will have his supporters with Muzi Yeni booked for the ride.

Although it took some time for Kick Butt to show her ability, Moffatt’s filly has run consistently in recent months and certainly warrants inclusion in jackpot and Pick 6 perms.

Of the remainder, Thewaywemakem makes some eachway appeal, but The Tin Man looks a tempting wager at his current odds. St John Gray, trainer of Thewaywemakem, could capture the sixth race with Strawberry Pavlova.

She has a win and two placings to her credit, so will strip a fit horse, but there is a Mike de Kock runner in opposition.

With several jockeys injured, notably Anthony Delpech, Randall Simons has grabbed the

opportunity to ride winners for the De Kock yard and he is sure to get the best out of Hakeem. But Hakeem has not won since 2017, so supporting the Aussiebred is not for the faint-hearted.

Any runner from Sean Tarry’s stable demands scrutiny and the trainer is represented by Yamato. The colt returns from a three-month break but has the advantage of the best draw.

Gavin Lerena had a winner at Turffontein last Saturday and he could go close on Geoff Woodruff’s Hampton Court in the seventh race. The likely favourite is Yeni’s mount Casual Wear, who is set to receive 4.5kg from Hampton Court.

It will be interesting to see if there is any market support for Lerena’s mount, That’s Life, in the final event on the eight-race programme. Of the 12 runners, That’s Life has more scope for improvement than any of his rivals but it is a worry that he has not raced for four months.

Denis Schwarz, who rides The Tin Man, has a good chance here on All Night Flight while the six-year-old’s stablemate Rebel Renegade also makes plenty of appeal in this 1,000m contest.

Johan van Eck’s filly Our Biscuit has a favourable draw in the second race and should start at decent odds as Alec Laird’s runner Virginia is likely to top the betting boards.