Horses To Win Grand National

In fact the average odds of a winning Grand National horse are around 20/1. Seven winners had at least four seasonal runs before going on to win the Aintree spectacular. The only three who had less were Ballabriggs in 2011, One For Arthur in 2017 and Tiger Roll in 2019. They had all run three times.

• Three other horses – Abd-El-Kader in 1850 and 1851, The Colonel in 1869 and 1870 and Manifesto in 1897 and 1899 – have won the Grand National more than once so, including Poethlyn, a total of seven horses have done so.
• In 2019, the Gordon Elliott-trained 10-year-old became the first horse since Red Rum (victor in 1973, 1974 and 1977) to win back-to-back Grand Nationals. A victory in this year’s race would equal.

R ed Rum’s status as the only horse to win the Grand National three times looks likely to remain unchallenged for many years, and probably decades, after Tiger Roll, the winner of the race in 2018 and 2019, was withdrawn from this year’s field, seemingly because Michael O’Leary, his owner, believes his handicap mark is “patently unfair”.

Tiger Roll became the first horse to win the National twice since Red Rum in 1974 when he came home in front two seasons ago, but has failed to register a victory in five starts since then off a handicap mark of 159. Martin Greenwood, the British Horseracing Authority’s senior chase handicapper, raised his mark to 166 for this year’s race, which seemed reasonable to many form students given the 11-year-old’s remarkable record in the face of the unique Aintree challenge and the relative ease of his victory in 2019.

Jockey Rob James apologises for climbing on top of dead horse Read more

O’Leary, however, suggested before the weights were published that Tiger Roll would not run in the National unless his mark was “in the 150s”, and has now proved as good as his word.

“When Tiger Roll won his second Grand National in April 2019 he ran off a rating of 159,” O’Leary said. “He won by just two-and-a-half lengths at the age of nine … He was beaten by 17 lengths in last year’s Cheltenham Cross Country … his form suggests he is clearly not as good as he was when he won the National in 2019.

“Despite this pretty obvious decline, the handicapper has given him a mark of 166, seven pounds higher than in 2019. We believe this is patently unfair, unjustified and does not reflect the horse’s age or his form. The handicapper has decided to rate [Tiger Roll] on his reputation rather than his form, but we have a duty of care to Tiger, and so will not ask him to carry an unfair weight burden.

“We therefore regret to announce that Tiger Roll will be removed from the Grand National entries at Tuesday’s forfeit stage. We hope he will run next as planned in the Cross Country race at Cheltenham. After that, we will consider his future wellbeing, which may involve retirement.”

There would have been no spectators at Aintree to witness Tiger Roll’s attempt to equal Red Rum’s record, but his presence in the field with an historic success within sight would still have been a huge boost for the event as racing begins a slow recovery from the disastrous financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, since Gordon Elliott, his trainer, is banned from running horses by the BHA after recent admission that he was photographed astride a dead horse on his gallops, the 2019 National could yet prove to be the final success of Tiger Roll’s extraordinary career.

O’Leary said on Monday that he will stand by the trainer while the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board conducts an investigation into the photograph and the circumstances in which it was taken. If it does not conclude swiftly and O’Leary sticks to his promise, Tiger Roll and at least 30 more horses due to run at Cheltenham in the Gigginstown Stud’s colours will be missing as the season’s showpiece unfolds from 16 March.

Tuesday’s best bets

The market seems a little sceptical this morning regarding the chance of Home Before Dusk (5.30) in the 10-furlong handicap at Newcastle later, but Keith Dalgleish’s course specialist is back at his ideal track and trip – and 2lb lower in the weights – after finding an extended 12 furlongs stretching him last time.

Quick Guide

Tuesday's racing tips

Show

Catterick: 12.30 Omar Maretti, 1.00 West To The Bridge, 1.30 Designer Destiny, 2.00 Caventara, 2.30 Gold Runner, 3.00 Relkadam, 3.30 Mr Chua.

Leicester: 2.10 Don Herbager, 2.40 Jack Valentine, 3.10 Somekindofstar, 3.40 Arqalina, 4.10 Fumet D'Oudairies, 4.40 Cat Tiger.

Newcastle: 4.00 Island Brave, 4.30 Great Esteem, 5.00 Kehailaan, 5.30 Home Before Dusk (nap), 6.00 Imperial Command, 6.30 Headshot, 7.00 The Great Heir (nb).

Horses To Win Grand National Park

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Horses To Win Grand National Finals

The Great Heir (7.00) is also of interest on the same card, having gone close in a decent time in mid-February, while Caventara (2.00) and Gold Runner (2.30) have solid claims on the jumps card at Catterick.