Two-time Grand National winner Tiger Roll will not line up for a third attempt at victory in the 2021 race owing to “unfair weight” allocation.
The 2018 and 2019 winner was allocated a rating of 166 (11st 9lb) for the 2021 race, but owner Gigginstown House Stud has said it believes this is “unfair”, adding they believe it does not reflect the horse’s age or form over the past two seasons.
Tiger Roll was allocated 11st 1lb for the 2019 race — although all entries were allocated an additional 4lb when top weight Bristol De Mai was withdrawn that year, meaning he started at 11st 5lb.
Gigginstown said in a statement that they would have allowed him to run if his rating had been “in the 150s”, but “in the circumstances, as previously advised, Tiger Roll will not run”.
It added that they, as owners, have a “duty of care” to Tiger Roll and “will not ask him to carry an unfair weight burden especially as he gets older and his form declines”.
“We hope he will run next as planned in the cross-country race at Cheltenham (17 March), where we hope he will enjoy himself and run well,” it states.
It adds after that they will “consider his future wellbeing, which may involve retirement” if his handicap is not adjusted.
“We all look forward to this year’s Aintree Grand National, which we hope can now proceed without any further speculation over Tiger Roll’s participation,” it states.
The decision means Red Rum retains his record as the only horse to win three Grand Nationals and Tiger Roll will not become the first horse to win three consecutive runnings of the race.
Tiger Roll’s trainer, Gordon Elliott, has been temporarily barred from having runners in Britain, pending the outcome of an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board investigation. The date for this has been set as 5 March.
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