Many horse racing fans were hoping to see Tiger Roll win his third Grand National in April. He won the race in 2018 and 2019 to become the first horse since Red Rum to win it in consecutive years.
However, the 12-year-old will not make an appearance at Aintree, meaning he will not be able to equal Red Rum’s record of three Grand National wins.
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Gigginstown House Stud boss Michael O’Leary said he was left with no choice about not running Tiger Roll due to his ‘ridiculous rating and unfair weight’.
The British handicapper handed Tiger Roll a rating of 161 – a mark O’Leary branded absurd.
Speaking in February before the Cheltenham Festival, he said: “Tiger Roll is now 12. He is clearly not as good as he was at eight or nine, yet the UK handicapper now rates him 2lb higher than his 159 rating in April 2019, when he won both the Boyne Hurdle and the Grand National.
“This rating is absurd and unfair on a 12-year-old chaser. It is a pity that the handicapper won’t give Tiger Roll either a fair rating or a fair weight in the Grand National, where he could at least try to emulate Red Rum’s three Grand National wins.
“However, the handicapper sets the weights, and even if he is manifestly wrong in the case of Tiger Roll, there is nothing we can do about it other than remove him from the race, since we don’t believe it is fair or safe to ask him to carry close to top weight at the age of 12.
“Since the top two horses in the handicap won’t run at Aintree this year, Tiger Roll will have to carry either 11st 8lb, or 11st 9lb at the age of 12, which is three years after he carried 11st 5lb at the age of nine to win the great race in April 2019.
“Since we are responsible for the welfare of Tiger Roll, we must protect him from the idiotic opinion of this handicapper. We therefore regret to announce that he will not run in this year’s Grand National.
“It’s sadly clear from his ratings that this handicapper doesn’t want Tiger Roll to run in this year’s Grand National, he won’t give him a fair chance, and sadly, the race will be the poorer for his absence.”
Tiger Roll made his final Cheltenham appearance in the Cross Country Chase, finishing second behind his stablemate Delta Work.
The 12-year-old ran 45 times under rules, winning on 13 of those rides. That’s not to mention the £1,419,316 in prize money he racked up over the years!
As attention turns to the Grand National without Tiger Roll, Delta Work is towards the top of the betting after his Cross Country win.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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