Elliott adamant that all roads lead to Aintree for Tiger Roll
He may be confined to barracks now, but third Grand National is aim, says Marcus Armytage
As the resident of the first box in Gordon Elliott’s County Meath yard, two-time Randox Health Grand National winner Tiger Roll has not lacked for attention during a period of enforced box rest. He is the first horse people see as they enter and the only horse they ask about.
But, with two weeks gone and a week still to go, jump racing’s little legend vented his obvious frustration at his confinement yesterday when, after posing for photographs outside his box, he stuck in an athletic buck. He was returned to his stable promptly.
Elliott is confident the nine-yearold is still on course for his attempt to win a third Randox Health Grand National following the removal of a small chip of bone from his near-fore joint two weeks ago.
“The procedure went well, he is on box rest until tomorrow week when he will walk for three weeks and then start steady cantering,” explained Elliott, who had just 10 horses in his care and not saddled a winner in Ireland when he won his first National with Silver Birch in 2007. He now has untold numbers of horses or “double figures” as he jokingly described it.
“He [Tiger Roll] was fully fit when he did it and, while it is not ideal, it would have been a lot worse had it happened in December or January.”
Elliott would like to start Ireland’s favourite horse off in the Boyne Hurdle, which he won last February, before taking in the cross-country at the Cheltenham Festival on the road to Aintree and, while owner Michael O’leary blows hot and cold about the race, as far as Elliott is concerned the National is the plan.
“He carried 11st 5lbs last year. We are not stupid, we know he will be top weight in April, but he would have won with 5lbs more this year – probably,” he said.
“It’s a Grand National, I know what can happen in a National. If we get him there the build-up will be second to none and if he sets out on the last circuit with a live chance there would be some atmosphere.
“It was frightening what he did last year. When we stuck the blinkers on him he was a different horse, the best he has ever been. Everyone knows him, he is a character, he loves everyone to pet him, he knows.”
The National may be still more than four months away but Elliott believes that he has 15 horses in the yard he would like to enter for this season’s race, including Borice, winner of the Galway Plate in July, who will be the trainer’s first runner in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury on Saturday.
“I was talking him up as a Grand National horse this time last year but we just didn’t get the rub of the green with him last season,” he explained.
“He has had a wind operation, which turned him inside out. He is in good form. The one thing I wouldn’t know about is the ground if it was heavy.”
This is a big weekend for Elliott with Samcro, now an exciting novice chaser, among a host of stable stars out at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
“I just could never get him to scope clean last year,” said the trainer. “We built a new stable for him with a woodchip turn out area behind it so he is getting plenty of fresh air. He was bought and bred to be a chaser.
“You never stop learning from your mistakes and last season we were probably wrong to try and make him into a Champion Hurdler, but the ground was so quick anyway it was probably a blessing in disguise.”