Source: Horse Racing UK via Twitter
Tiger Roll proved at Cheltenham Festival that he has the quality to compete at the highest level and triumph as he enters the final stages of preparation for the Grand National. The eight-year-old was on form to deliver a fine performance at Cheltenham, winning the Glenfarclas Chase ahead of a talented field, including Cause of Causes. A similar effort at Aintree might be enough to secure the victory, although the event is far from predictable.
Tiger Roll has some of the traits needed to triumph in the National, having previous experience at the racecourse along with several wins over three miles. The Irish horse has the quality and is backed at 10/1 at William Hill to claim the crown, ending trainer Gordon Elliott’s 11-year drought in the race after Silver Birch’s triumph at the meet in 2007.
The eight-year-old has been hit and miss over the last year, although he has always performed on the big stage, especially at Cheltenham Festival. In the 2017 festival, Tiger Roll was considered an outsider for the National Hunt Challenge Cup. However, with Lisa O’Neill in the saddle, the Irish horse recovered from a pair of mistakes during the middle section of the race before surging down the stretch to claim the victory by three lengths.
Tiger Roll was unable to build on his performance at Cheltenham in his next outing in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. He struggled for rhythm in the contest before pulling up without ever competing with the leading group, ending his season on a low note. He found a semblance of form at the start of the new campaign, placing second in the first meet of the term at Punchestown.
Source: Navan Racecourse via Twitter
Elliott’s charge built off the result with another second-place finish at the M.W. Hickey Memorial Chase at Wexford, ending the meet one-and-a-half lengths behind the eventual winner A Genie in Abottle. Tiger Roll’s inconsistency on the circuit reared its head again at the Clonmel Oil Chase, failing to complete the meet after pulling up two fences from the finish.
The bay gelding was still not operating at the peak of his powers in the dress rehearsal for Cheltenham Festival last December in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase. He was considered one of the leading contenders for the meet, but he struggled for pace from the off. Keith Donoghue managed to get his charge going in the closing stages of the race, although it was only good enough to secure fifth place.
As a result of his performance three months prior, Tiger Roll was not favoured to win the Glenfarclas Chase. However, he produced a flawless performance on the big stage, dominating the rest of the field with his pace and clean jumping skills, claiming the victory by two lengths. However, the Irish horse’s displays over the course of his career have been far from consistent. Should he replicate his outing from Cheltenham, it could be enough to deliver the National for Elliott, ending his wait to clinch his second triumph at the event.