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Once again the Randox Aintree Grand National looks like taking place in April without its greatest star of the modern era, Tiger Roll. Last year the 2018 and 2019 winner was denied a shot at emulating the legendary Red Rum by securing a hat-trick of victories in the world’s most famous steeplechase.
That was due to a long-running dispute between owner Michael O’Leary and the British handicapper over the horse’s handicap mark. The Ryanair boss described a rating of 166 as “patently unfair” and took Tiger Roll out of the race at the first opportunity in early March.
Just a couple of weeks later the hugely popular veteran rolled back the years to win for a fifth time at the Cheltenham festival in the Cross-Country Chase. A similar scenario could be about to unfold now.
At Tuesday’s National weights launch, the British Horseracing Authority’s senior handicapper Martin Greenwood assigned Tiger Roll a rating of 161, 4lbs lower than his last start over fences in December. However, O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud team weren’t impressed, pointing to a bigger weight cut given to Tiger Roll’s old rival Easysland, and indicated a similar policy to last year is on the cards.
“Easyslands is our exact equal. Last year we beat him in the Cross Country on our ground,” Gigginstown’s Eddie O’Leary said. “The previous year he beat us on his ground. He’s dropped 8lbs even though his only run in the meantime was pulled up in a hurdle race.
“He’s eight years old, coming to his peak: we’re 12, in a Zimmer-frame, and he gives us 4lbs. If we were dropped to 159 like Easysland there wouldn’t be a bother. That would be seen to be fair.”
“I would like to ask Greenwood to explain his handicapping. Because that’s not handicapping, when an eight year old is dropped 8lbs and a 12 year old only gets 4lbs and they’re the exact same horse.
“He said he wanted us to run more. We’ve ran three times since - three times. Easysland’s only run was to be pulled up in a hurdle race. So he gets 8lbs and we get 4lbs,” he added.
Asked whether or not the National will be on Tiger Roll’s radar, O’Leary said: “We will make our own decision at the next stage. As of last year we said nothing and we took him out at the next stage. So we will do the very same this year.
“There will be no decision until the next stage. But when you see an eight year old dropped 8lbs, and you’re 12 and you’ve four, there’s a smack there in fairness. But he (Greenwood) has had his say, that’s grand.”
He insisted that targeting another Cheltenham festival success is the priority with Tiger Roll.
“If he gets to Cheltenham, wouldn’t it be wonderful for the horse, for Gordon, for us, fantastic. It’s all about Cheltenham. It’s always been about Cheltenham for this horse. Aintree, because of Greenwood, has been very secondary,” commented O’Leary. “He (Greenwood) has had his day and we’ll have ours in time.
“We don’t want this bullshit going on the whole time. We have complained about the handicapping of one horse in our entire Gigginstown career. One horse and that’s it. We never complain about the handicapping of any horse, except this horse, because it has always been so patently wrong.
“We will look after our little warrior and if we get to Cheltenham we’ll be over the moon,” he added.
Greenwood said he had “relented a bit” with Tiger Roll’s mark which is down 5lbs on a year ago.
“As I keep telling people you can’t ignore his win in the Cross-Country at Cheltenham last season when he easily defeated two good horses in Easysland and Some Neck,” he said.
Tiger Roll, who features among 18 entries for Sunday’s Boyne Hurdle at Navan, was made a 25-1 shot after a weights launch in a market dominated by Irish horses. Another Gordon Elliott trained star, Galvin, assigned joint-topweight with another stable companion Conflated, is a 16-1 favourite with some layers.
Last year’s winner Minella Times, who created history for jockey Rachael Blackmore, has been raised 15lbs to the same mark as Tiger Roll, a move that surprised trainer Henry De Bromhead.
“I didn’t think he went up as much as that after he won, and going on his form this year I’m surprised he got increased. He’s been a little bit off form recently but he looks like coming back to form and hopefully he will by then (April 9th.)
“They certainly have to enjoy it to do well around there and hopefully going back will help him find his form,” De Bromhead reported.
Half of the 104 entries still in the National are Irish trained. They include last year’s third, Any Second Now, who still has to qualify for the National not having started a chase yet this season.