Where will Tiger Roll be appearing next?
Tiger Roll owners Michael and Eddie O’Leary are keeping punters guessing as to where the two-time Grand National winner will make an appearance next. A decision on whether he will be aimed towards the Irish Grand National or the Betway Bowl at Aintree next week will almost certainly be left until the eleventh hour.
Tiger Roll was withdrawn from the 2021 renewal of the Aintree Grand National in February following what Michael O’Leary believed was a very unfair assessment from the handicapper. Since then Tiger Roll managed a fifth win at the Cheltenham Festival when he romped home to victory in the Cross Country (Glenfarclas) Chase. Despite this, Eddie O’Leary claimed to have no regrets by leaving him out of the National next week. He said: “He’ll either go to Aintree for the Bowl or for the Irish National.
“We left him in the Irish National thinking that, if the ground was suitable, we could claim 7lb off him. That would give him a nice racing weight.
“If he goes to Fairyhouse he could be ridden by a claimer, otherwise it will be the Bowl. He has come out of Cheltenham very well, according to Sneezy [Foster], and she’s very happy with him.”
Tiger Roll will play no part in the 2021 Grand National but Gigginstown will likely have several runners in the big race as well as the Irish National.
O’Leary continued: “At this stage it looks as though we’ll have five or six for the Aintree National and roughly the same for Fairyhouse. Shattered Love, Milan Native, Farclas and Alpha Des Obeaux are all possibles for Aintree.
“For the Irish National, obviously Tiger Roll is a possible and we’ve kept Coko Beach and Run Wild Fred for that as well; they would be our main ones for the race.”
