ROLL PLAYING

Gordon Elliott’s dual winner is 5-1 favourite for computer-generated race

TIGER ROLL will go off the 5-1 favourite for Saturday’s Virtual Grand National.

As expected, Gordon Elliott’s 10-year-old, winner of the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree in 2018 and 2019 – but first and second in the past two runnings of the computer-generated version – will carry top weight of 11st 10lb when the race is broadcast on ITV at 5.15pm on Saturday.

And Davy Russell’s mount will start the clear market leader – the starting prices agreed by bookmakers will not change until the ‘off’ time – with the Ted Walsh-trained Any Second Now next in the betting at 10-1 for the Virtual Grand National, which takes centre stage after the ‘real’ version fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic. “In line with the way that ‘virtual’ races are run, the prices reflect the relative chances of each horse and remain the same until Saturday afternoon,” said Ladbrokes’ Simon Clare.

“If the race had been run for real at Aintree on Saturday, we consider that Tiger Roll would have gone off around the 5-1 mark.”

All bookies’ profits from the race will be donated to NHS Charities Together – the umbrella organisation representing mover than 140 NHA charities – with punters limited to a stake of £10 win or £10 each-way.

“We hope that the limit on stakes will mean that punters can have a bit of run on the race, and there is no more deserving cause in the current circumstances than NHS Charities Together,” added Clare.

■ THE Punchestown Festival, due to start on 28 April, was yesterday cancelled by Horse Racing Ireland, along with the remainder of the 2019-20 National Hunt season.

The BoyleSports Irish Grand National, originally scheduled for Fairyhouse on Monday week, is likely to be run between October and December this year.

“In making an early decision we want to give as much certainty as possible to owners and trainers,” said Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh.