The Tin Man's day nears after best Group 1 showing

The day after last year's Sprint Cup, The Tin Man was a beaten favourite off 91 at York. He progressed quickly enough to take fourth behind Muhaarar on British Champions Day the following month and will go this year with expectations even higher following his second to Quiet Reflection.

It was his best run from three tries at the top level and trainer James Fanshawe said: "It was a tremendous run. Obviously you don't know how they'll handle the ground until you try it, and Tom [Queally] said he's handled it well."

The Tin Man missed the break and, although he never looked like catching Quiet Reflection, the fact he passed the rest is a big advertisement of his top-level credentials, as Fanshawe pointed out.