A dual Grand National winner, it’s going to be disappointing not to see Tiger Roll going for a third Grand National in April. Due to carry seven pounds more than his most recent National success, he was withdrawn due to an “unfair weight”.
Regardless of what you think of the decision, the fact remains, Tiger Roll will live on in racing history. He’s likely to come up in trivia later down the line, and potentially our horse racing tips, so if you want to stock up on your facts about the tenacious warrior, take a look below!
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Tiger Roll was born on 14th March 2010, and not to be cliche, but a star was well and truly born!
Tiger Roll’s dam was called Swiss Roll, so his name certainly keeps him in the family.
Swiss Roll was also trained by Tommy Stack, who rode Red Rum to Grand National glory in 1977.
As a son of 2007 Derby winner Authorized, Tiger Roll certainly wasn’t bred for the job. Even his dam’s sire, Entrepreneur, was a 2000 Guineas winner. On paper, you wouldn’t have been able to suggest he’d be a Grand National winner.
At just 15.2 hands tall, Tiger Roll certainly isn’t the biggest horse. Compare that to Party Politics, who was over 17 hands tall! Some even claim he was closer to 18.
As a foal, Tiger Roll was bought for £73,500 by the Godolphin juggernaut. That’s no real surprise given his breeding, but he would fail to make the racetrack in their colours. He was subsequently sold to Nigel Hawke, who picked him up for just £10,000.
Although his breeding would suggest he’d be a perfect fit for bumpers, he never actually contested a flat race ahead of hurdling. He made his debut in a juvenile hurdle, making a winning start at odds of 12/1. After the race, Hawke said: “He had schooled well at home so that was no surprise“, and his jumping would remain his prize asset.
After that impressive debut victory at Market Rasen, he was snapped up by Mags O’Toole for £80,000 at the Cheltenham Sales. From there, he would race in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud.
One of Tiger Roll’s biggest positives is his jumping and as such, he’s never fallen during a race. He’s failed to complete on just six of his 40 career starts, suffering one unseat at Galway in July 2016. That wasn’t the fault of the Tiger, however, as he jumped the fence well but was bumped on landing, unbalancing Bryan Cooper and sending him out of the side door.
Winning at a Cheltenham Festival is a very difficult feat, so to win there on four occasions is an incredible achievement. His first Festival victory came in 2014, where he landed the Triumph, with subsequent successes coming in the National Hunt Chase (2017) and the Cross Country (2018 and 2019).
No, this quote didn’t come from a doubter, it came from owner Michael O’Leary! “He’s only a small horse, he’s a little rat of a thing, but he’s got a heart of a lion” was the full quote, so it was said with a certain amount of affection!
That victory came in the 2019 Boyne Hurdle, beating some very smart rivals in impressive fashion. He’d go on that season to win the Cross Country at the Festival prior to his second Grand National victory one month later.
When Tiger Roll won his second Grand National in 2019, he became the first horse to win back to back Nationals since Red Rum in 1974.
Tiger Roll went off at just 4/1 for the 2019 Grand National. That made him the shortest-price winner for the National since Poethlyn, who went off at 11/4 100 years prior!
After Oxo in 1959 and L’Escargot in 1975, Tiger Roll is the third winner of the Aintree race to be named after food.
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