Tiger Roll storms to fourth Festival success with win in Cross Country Chase
Tiger Roll, last year’s Grand National winner, enjoyed one of the warmest receptions for a Festival winner for many years after running away with the Cross Country Chase here on Wednesday to record his fourth success at the meeting.
The nine-year-old – affectionately described as “a little rat of a thing” after his Aintree win by Michael O’Leary, his owner – took the two-mile 2014 Triumph Hurdle as a four-year-old and has since added to his record the four-mile National Hunt Chase in 2017 and, now, two Cross Country wins.
Tiger Roll was still cruising as the field turned for home after criss-crossing the infield for almost four miles and quickly charged clear of his pursuers to win by 22 lengths. He enjoyed loud acclaim from the crowd as he was led back to the winner’s enclosure, where O’Leary paid tribute to one of his most talented and durable performers.
“He’s a legend around here,” O’Leary said. “Triumph Hurdle winners tend not to come back, but they certainly don’t come back and win four-mile races for amateurs and then crosscountries.
“It’s a phenomenal training performance by Gordon [Elliott]. He wasn’t great as a novice chaser but he’s transformed him by changing his routine and sending him cross-country.”
Tiger Roll was a first winner at the meeting for O’Leary’s powerful Gigginstown Stud operation following several disappointments with fancied runners. “We were very nervous and depressed [before the race],” he said. “I’d had four favourites beaten out of the park and then your man comes out, and I’ve never seen an easier winner around here. I’d run out of lucky places to stand so I went back up to the box and watched it up there.
“A horse like him keeps turning up and confounding everyone, and it remarkably difficult to win around here at the best of times. To do it four times in three different races is extraordinary.”
Tiger Roll is entered for the Grand National next month but O’Leary is unsure whether he will line up at Aintree. “We’ll see and I don’t want to abuse him now,” he said. “Maybe we’d rather try to come back here and try to make it a hat-trick in the Cross Country next year.”