Her three-year-old season was disrupted by illness and injury, but she won all three of her starts, proving herself the year's best sprinter with wins in the July Cup at Newmarket and the King George Stakes at Goodwood.

Tiffin was a small bay filly bred by Sir John Rutherford, 1st Baronet, a Conservative Party politician who previously owned the St Leger Stakes and Ascot Gold Cup winner Solario.

[3] Her dam, Dawn Wind (or Dawn-Wind) was reportedly regarded by her trainer George Lambton as the fastest filly he ever trained, but never ran in a race owing to injury.

She was then sent to Sandown to contest the five furlong National Breeders' Produce Stakes, which at the time was the most valuable race of the season for two-year-olds, with prize money of over £7,000.

[11] On her final run of the season she appeared at Newmarket in October for the six furlong Cheveley Park Stakes, the most prestigious race of the year for two-year-old fillies in Britain.

[17] The filly then fell gravely ill with an "internal ailment"[4] which placed her life in danger and forced her to miss all her spring engagements including the Guineas and the Oaks.

Tiffin won "in a canter" from some of the best British sprinters[18] with Le Phare, a colt who went on to win the Sussex Stakes and the Stewards' Cup, taking second place.

After appearing beaten inside the final furlong, Tiffin rallied to gain the lead in the closing strides and won by a short head in a new track record time of 1:12.2.