TIGER’S STROLL
Elliott’s little marvel makes light work of the National to join an exclusive club
IT was an Aintree stroll for Tiger Roll as the Gordon Elliott-trained diminutive gelding ignited a euphoric Liverpool crowd by becoming the first horse since legendary Red Rum 45 year ago to win back-to-back Nationals.
Memories of one of the sport’s best-known horses were evoked as Tiger Roll became only the fifth horse to win back-to-back Nationals in the race’s long history.
Now Tiger Roll, a horse who has parallels with the Ginger McCaintrained Red Rum, given their similar stature and that they were both bred for the Flat, is also guaranteed Turf immortality.
What is supposed to be the world’s most unpredictable steeplechase was made to look like child’s play as jockey Davy Russell had Tiger Roll perfectly positioned behind the leaders throughout the race before launching an attack after the second-last fence and beating 66-1 outsider Magic Of Light by two and three-quarter lengths. Last year Tiger Roll had clung on by the skin of his teeth. Yesterday it was the opposition that was struggling to cling to his coat-tails.
In emotional scenes in the winner’s enclosure, trainer Elliott, in winning the race for a third time, was in tears while the nine-yearold’s owner, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, who was also landing his third win in the £1million race, said he felt he had ‘died and gone to heaven’.
Memorably, and with affection, 12 months earlier O’Leary had called Tiger Roll a ‘little rat of a thing’. This time he simply said: ‘God, I am so in with rats’.
O’Leary added: ‘It’s phenomenal. There was no pressure today. I did not think he would win. They don’t win two in a row and Red Rum was a legend and now Tiger Roll is a legend. I am floating on air.
‘The aim today was for him to come back in one piece. He is so precious to me and is to everyone now. The cheering he got at the finish was great for the crowd and it was bad for the bookies which is always a good thing.
‘These are the best days of my life. You never expect to win one Grand National and we have now won three. Tiger Roll is not a Gold Cup horse but he is a legend in his own right now. We will have a good party tonight and the Ryanair flight from Liverpool will be going a few minutes late again I suspect.’
The result was momentous also for Elliott. He was already a recordbreaker going into the race.
Tiger Roll was one of a record 11 runners in the race for Elliott, one more than his mentor, former trainer Martin Pipe, who had 10 starters in 2001. Of the Elliott squad three others finished — A Toi Phil (12th), Bless The Wings (13th) and Folsom Blue (17th).
One more victory in the biggest steeplechase in the world will take Elliott level with the record jointly held by Fred Rimell and McCain.
The odds against that happening will be even smaller than Tiger Roll’s 4-1 odds, given the impact Elliott has had on the sport.
Amazingly, his first Grand National winner, Silver Birch in 2007, came before he had trained a single winner in his native Ireland. The 41-year-old workaholic may have been born a racing outsider, being the son of a panel beater, but having got a start in the sport, he is now at the centre of it.
As he wiped away tears, Elliott said his thoughts were with his late uncle Willie, who had got him interested in racing.
‘I don’t get emotional too often but I can’t believe it. Everybody loves him, he is the people’s horse. This is for all the stable and my family and for my uncle Willie. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be in racing.’
Apart from a stumble four fences out, Tiger Roll barely put a foot wrong and Russell said: ‘He had a couple of stumbles at fences but he was soon back on the bridle. He just loves running and jumping.’
Twelve months ago it was an Irish 1-2-3-4 and only Robert Walfordtrained Walk In The Mill picking up fourth prevented a repeat.
Jessica Harrington’s Magic of Knight outran her odds and went close to being the first mare to win since Nickel Coin in 1951 while Ruby Walsh’s mount Rathvinden was third, his cause not helped by mistakes at the Water Jump and Valentine’s Brook second time.
Walsh said he was aware that Tiger Roll was travelling ominously well: ‘Rathvinden ran a blinder but from Becher’s on I knew he was behind me and every time I saw him I could see Davy going well.’
Surprisingly, given Tiger Roll was the shortest-priced winner since Poethlyn won at 11-4 100 years ago, most claimed it was not a bad result for them — with Paddy Power saying the spread of bets across the field made them winner overall.
They may not need to worry about Tiger Roll next year. O’Leary said he could retire him if he wins again at next year’s Cheltenham Festival. ‘He has won two Grand Nationals now. I would be reluctant to bring him back a third time but let’s just enjoy today and not plan for tomorrow,’ he said.