Tiger Roll joins entries for Grand National

DUAL Randox Health Grand National winner Tiger Roll is one of 106 entries for the Aintree spectacular on April 10.

Gordon Elliott’s 11-year-old was denied the chance to make it three wins in a row last year, with the race cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tiger Roll, a four-time Cheltenham Festival winner, has not run since disappointing over the cross-country fences at Cheltenham in November – and his National participation is seemingly not guaranteed, with connections remaining unhappy with his rating.

Eddie O’Leary, racing manager for his owners, Gigginstown House Stud, said: “Touch wood, he’ll go for the Boyne Hurdle at Navan [February 21] next and then it will be the cross-country chase at Cheltenham.

“I think the November run was just one of those days. We didn’t expect him to win or anything, but we didn’t think he’d run that bad. There was no reason for it, maybe he had a headache, I couldn’t tell you.

“With regards to the National, he’s still got a crazy weight. For some unknown reason he has this crazy rating, but he didn’t even appear in the end-ofseason classifications last year, yet he’s got this rating of 168.

“When I queried it, I was told that was because it was a cross-country rating. Tiger Roll was beaten 17 lengths by Easysland off level weights [in March]. I’ve always said 168 is crazy and there’s no point in running in the National unless he’s given a chance. We’d be absolutely thrilled if he could run to a mark of 168, but it makes no sense.

“Unless he’s given a chance he’ll probably be retired at Cheltenham if he runs badly, and maybe Cheltenham is the right place to retire him given his record there.”