Trainer Gordon Elliott was overcome with emotion as Tiger Roll, ridden by Davy Russell, returned after winning his second consecutive Randox Health Grand National.
Tiger Roll, a nine-year-old by Authorized carrying 11st 5lb, became the first horse since Red Rum in 1974 to win two Randox Health Grand Nationals.
He was sent off the 4/1 favourite, and beat 66/1 chance Magic Of Light (Jessica Harrington/Paddy Kennedy) by two and three-quarter lengths.
Elliott, for whom it was a third Randox Health Grand National success – he also trained Silver Birch to win the 2007 renewal of the £1-million race, said: “We work very hard for this the whole time. I’ve got a brilliant team behind me, and all my family at home. Davy Russell’s mother died last year, and this was for her, and my uncle Willie Elliott died this year and this was for him.”
Asked to sum up his brilliant horse, who now has four Cheltenham Festival wins and two Randox Health Grand National victories to his name, Elliott shook his head and just said: “Tiger.”
Tiger Roll is owned by Gigginstown House Stud, the racing and breeding operation of Ryanair supremo Michael O’ Leary.
O’Leary said: “It’s just unbelievable. I thought that he genuinely had no chance today carrying that weight, but it was a beautiful ride and a phenomenal training performance by Gordon. It’s brilliant he keeps bringing this horse back to Cheltenham better than ever and Aintree better than ever. What a ride by Davy – fantastic!
“Tiger Roll has got a stage now where you just want to mind him. You run the risk every time he runs, you think ‘Oh my God, please don’t let anything happen to him’ and it is unbelievable to win two Grand Nationals. It’s incredible. It’s a great result for the punters; it’s fantastic.”
After a false start, they were off at 18h19 at the second attempt and 4/1 favourite Tiger Roll, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Davy Russell, won the Randox Health Grand National for a second-year running in great style.
The nine-year-old chaser became the first horse since Red Rum in 1993/94 to win the world’s richest and greatest chase twice.
Elliott, in tears, reacted: “Everyone loves him. He is the people’s horse. I cannot believe it.”
Owner Michael O’Leary commented: “They don’t win for a second year in a row – the odds are so heavily against it. I don’t know what Gordon has done this year but Tiger Roll has come back stronger and better than ever.
“I was thinking Davy don’t go too early, so well was he going. It is just incredible – I thought we had absolutely no chance.”
Russell reacted: “What can I say, Tiger Roll is just an unbelievable horse. I was running away for most of the race. It was marvellous – he gave a couple of stumbles and I think the blinkers lit him up.”
INTITIAL FINISHING ORDER
1 TIGER ROLL (IRE) BL, TS 9 11-05 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE/Davy Russell 4/1 Fav
2 MAGIC OF LIGHT (IRE) P 8 10-11 Ann & Alan Potts Limited Jessica Harrington IRE/Paddy Kennedy 66/1
3 RATHVINDEN (IRE) 11 11-00 Ronnie Bartlett Willie Mullins IRE/Ruby Walsh 8/1
4 WALK IN THE MILL (FR) 9 10-04 Baroness Harding Robert Walford/James Best 25/1
5 ANIBALE FLY (FR) TS 9 11-10 J P McManus Tony Martin IRE/Mark Walsh
6 ONE FOR ARTHUR (IRE) TS 10 11-00 Two Golf Widows Lucinda Russell/Derek Fox
7 REGAL ENCORE (IRE) 11 10-12 J P McManus Anthony Honeyball / Jonathan Burke
8 SINGLEFARMPAYMENT H 9 10-06 Neal Griffith & Heather Haddock Tom George/Paddy Brennan
9 OUTLANDER (IRE) 11 11-04 Gowing’s Eleven Richard Spencer/James Bowen
10 VALSEUR LIDO (FR) 10 10-06 Gigginstown House Stud Henry de Bromhead IRE/Rachael Blackmore
11 LIVELOVELAUGH (IRE) 9 10-04 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE/David Mullins
12 A TOI PHIL (FR) TS 9 10-11 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE/Denis O’Regan
13 BLESS THE WINGS (IRE) P 14 10-03 Adrian Butler & Stephen O’Connor Gordon Elliott IRE/Robert Dunne
14 ULTRAGOLD (FR) TS 11 10-07 Brocade Racing John Romans Terry Warner Colin Tizzard/Tom O’Brien
15 VIEUX LION ROUGE (FR) TS, P 10 10-06 Prof Caroline Tisdall & John Gent David Pipe/Tom Scudamore
16 CAPTAIN REDBEARD (IRE) 10 10-03 Stuart Coltherd Stuart Coltherd/Sam Coltherd
17 FOLSOM BLUE (IRE) TS, P 12 10-04 Core Partnership Gordon Elliott IRE/Luke Dempsey
18 VALTOR (FR) 10 11-06 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Nicky Henderson/Daryl Jacob
19 DON POLI (IRE) P 10 11-03 Darren & Annaley Yates Philip Kirby/Mr Patrick Mullins
FELL 1 VINTAGE CLOUDS (IRE) 9 10-04 Trevor Hemmings Sue Smith/Danny Cook
BD 1 UP FOR REVIEW (IRE) 10 10-06 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE/Danny Mullins
PU 11 MONBEG NOTORIOUS (IRE) V 8 10-10 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE/Sean Bowen
FELL 19 ROCK THE KASBAH (IRE) P 9 10-13 Diana Whateley Philip Hobbs/Richard Johnson
FELL 19 GENERAL PRINCIPLE (IRE) TS 10 10-04 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE/J J Slevin
FELL 19 JURY DUTY (IRE) TS 8 10-11 Sideways Syndicate Gordon Elliott IRE/Robbie Power
PU 19 BLOW BY BLOW (IRE) BL, TS 8 10-06 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE/Andrew Ring
PU 21 MINELLA ROCCO (IRE) 9 11-01 J P McManus Jonjo O’Neill/Richie McLernon
PU 25 STEP BACK (IRE) P 9 10-07 Cracker and Smodge Partnership Mark Bradstock/Nico de Boinville
FELL 26 BALLYOPTIC (IRE) 9 11-01 Mills & Mason Partnership Nigel Twiston-Davies/Tom Bellamy
UR 27 PLEASANT COMPANY (IRE) 11 11-01 Malcolm Denmark Willie Mullins IRE/Paul Townend
PU 27 LAKE VIEW LAD (IRE) 9 11-01 Trevor Hemmings Nick Alexander/Henry Brooke
PU 28 WARRIORS TALE TS 10 10-13 Trevor Hemmings Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden
PU 28 NOBLE ENDEAVOR (IRE) P 10 10-10 Chris Jones Gordon Elliott IRE/Mark Enright
PU 28 RAMSES DE TEILLEE (FR) TS 7 10-09 John White & Anne Underhill David Pipe/David Noonan
PU 28 JUST A PAR (IRE) BL 12 10-02 Mark Scott James Moffatt/Aidan Coleman
PU 29 GO CONQUER (IRE) TS 10 11-03 Paul & Clare Rooney Nigel Twiston-Davies/Sam Twiston-Davies
PU 29 MALA BEACH (IRE) 11 11-02 Chris Jones Gordon Elliott IRE/Mr Jamie Codd
PU 29 DOUNIKOS (FR) 8 11-00 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE/Jack Kennedy
PU 29 TEA FOR TWO 10 10-09 Jane Williams & Len Jakeman Jane Williams/Lizzie Kelly
PU 29 JOE FARRELL (IRE) 10 10-02 Mark Sherwood, Nigel Morris & Rebecca Curtis Rebecca Curtis/Adam Wedge
Time: 9m 01.00s
Distances: 2¾, 2¼, 11, ½, 9, 2¼, ½, 3, 2, hd, 1¼, 1¼, 3¼, 3¼, 11, 7, 16, 41
