TIGER ROLL, by 2007 Epsom Derby winner Authorized out of Swiss Roll, was foaled 14 March 2010. He is a bay gelding with a white star and, at 15.2 hands, is small for a racehorse. He was bred in Ireland by Gerry O’Brien and bought as a foal by Godolphin for 70,000 guineas at Tattersalls. He never raced for Godolphin however, and was sold three years later to Devon trainer Nigel Hawke for £10,000. In November 2013 he won his first race, a juvenile hurdle at Market Rasen Racecourse. Following this win he was sold for £80,000 in January 2014 to Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud and put into training at Gordon Elliott’s Cullentra House Stables in County Meath, Ireland. At the time of his Grand National win in April 2019 he was still with the same owner and trainer.

Career

Tiger Roll's second race for his new owner and trainer was the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2014. Ridden by Davy Russell, he won by 3¼ lengths. This was the first of four victories at the Cheltenham Festival, the other three being the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup in March 2017 with jockey Lisa O’Neill, and the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase in March 2018 and March 2019 with jockey Keith Donoghue. By the time of his second win in the Glenfarcas Cross Country Chase he had won a total of eleven races and not fallen once in 34 starts.

Tiger Roll, ridden by Davy Russell, won the 2018 Grand National at Aintree at odds of 10/1. He went into the lead two from home and held off a late challenge from Pleasant Company to win by a head in a photo-finish. The win brought his total earnings to almost £802,000. Trainer Gordon Elliott said after the race: “When you look back at his record he’s won three different types of races at the Cheltenham Festival. To come on and win a National is unbelievable. He doesn’t owe us too much now.”

Tiger Roll started the 2018-19 season by coming fourth in a cross country chase at Cheltenham in November 2018. He then surprised everyone by winning his 2019 warm-up race, the Boyne Hurdle race at Navan in February, at odds of 25/1, partnered by his regular jockey Keith Donoghue. In March he started hot favourite for the Glenfarcas Cross Country Chase and duly won by 22 lengths. At Aintree, on 6 April, partnered by Davy Russell and carrying six pounds more than in 2018, he started favourite for the Grand National at odds of 4/1 and won by more than two lengths from Magic of Light. This victory made him the first horse since Red Rum in 1974 to win back-to-back Grand Nationals.