Owned by Gigginstown House Stud, under the auspices of Michael O’Leary, and trained by Gordon Elliot, Tiger Roll, who won back-to-back renewals of the Grand National in 2018 and 2019, had the distinction of being the first horse to do so since the legendary Red Rum in 1974. On the first occasion, off a handicap mark of 150 and carrying 10st 13lb, he was driven six lengths clear by jockey Davy Russell, but was ultimately all out to hold the rallying Pleasant Company by an ever-diminishing head. On the second, off a revised handicap mark of 159 and saddled with 11 st 5lb, he recovered from stumbles at the fifth- and fourth-last fences to justify favouritism with something in hand, passing the post two-and-threequarter lengths of his nearest pursuer, Magic Of Light.
Indeed, of the latter performance, British Horseracing Authority (BHA) handicapper Martin Greenwood said, “I have never seen a horse in my memory travel so strongly in the Grand National. He [Tiger Roll] was still on the bridle at the last fence.” However, Tiger Roll would be denied the opportunity of an unprecedented hat-trick in the Grand National because, in 2020, the race was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, in 2021, O’Leary took exception to his revised handicap mark. O’Leary said that a 7lb rise in the weights compared with 2019 was “patently unfair” and “injustified”, later adding that Greenwood had an “idiotic opinion”, and Tiger Roll never ran in the Grand National again.
Tiger Roll was officially retired from racing on March 16, 2022, having tried, and narrowly failed, to win the Glenfarclas Chase at the Cheltenham Festival for the fourth time, having previously been victorious in 2018, 2019 and 2021. He retired with an enviable record, having won 13 of his 43 races over hurdles and fences, including the Triumph Hurdle and the National Hunt Chase at the Cheletnham Festival. Elliott said, “Tiger has been the horse of a lifetime and he’ll have a brilliant retirement now with Gigginstown and Michael. He’s been with us nine years and he’ll be impossible to replace”.