Grand National 2019 – Tiger Roll Does It Again!

It turns out that dreams really do come true, or at least for the likes of Tiger Roll jockey Davy Russell, trainer Gordon Elliot and owner Michael O’Leary. For every dream though there is a nightmare, and this time it was the bookmakers taking the hit for what sealed back-to-back  Grand National wins for Tiger Roll (following on from his outstanding 2018 Grand National display). The 4-1 favourite, had more support in the betting for the 2019 race than any Grand National horse in recent memory and it’s estimated that it has resulted in bookmaker lose of between 150m and 200m.

Going over the last fence it looked like 66-1 shot Magic of Light was still in with a fighting chance, but the class of Tiger Roll shone through (the winner receives a very healthy £561k) . Is it too early to ask whether a 2020 Grand National win is now a possibility for Tiger Roll? An unheard of three in a row beckons. The closet any horse has previously come to thisat is three time winner Red Rum (with wins in 1973, 1974 and 1977).

Grand National 2019 full result

  1. Tiger Roll – 4/1f
  2. Magic of Light – 66/1
  3. Rathvinden – 8/1
  4. Walk In The Mill – 25/1
  5. Anibale Fly – 10/1
  6. One For Arthur – 25/1
  7. Regal Encore – 66/1
  8. Singlefarmpayment – 50/1
  9. Outlander – 66/1
  10.  Valseur Lido – 66/1
  11. Livelovelaugh – 25/1
  12. A Toi Phil – 50/1
  13. Bless The Wings – 50/1
  14. Ultragold – 50/1
  15. Vieux Lion Rouge – 50/1
  16. Captain Redbeard – 66/1
  17. Folsom Blue – 66/1
  18. Valtor – 66/1
  19. Don Poli – 66/1

Grand National 2019 Runners – Line-up

The Jockey Club today announced the 40 Grand National 2019 runners. Weight and jockey information is below. Horses confirmed at be featuring in the 2019 line-up include favourite Tiger Roll (looking for back to back Grand National success after his 2018 victory!), 2017 winner One For Arthur and last year’s runner up Pleasant Company. The race will take place on ITV on Saturday 6th April at 5:15pm.

Current favourite to win the 2019 Grand National is the aforementioned Tiger Roll, who is 4-1 at time of writing. Second favourite is Rathvinden at 9-1, closely followed by Vintage Clouds and Anibale Fly (both available at 12-1).

 

Grand National 2019 Runners / Line-up:

Horse | weight | trainer/jockey

1 Anibale Fly, 11-10, Tony Martin/Barry Geraghty
2 Valtor, 11-06, Nicky Henderson/Daryl Jacob
3 Tiger Roll, 11-05, Gordon Elliott/Davy Russell
4 Outlander, 11-04, Gordon Elliott/Keith Donoghue
5 Don Poli, 11-03, Gordon Elliott/Patrick Mullins
6 Go Conquer, 11-03, Nigel Twiston-Davies/Sam Twiston-Davies
7 Mala Beach, 11-02, Gordon Elliott/Mr Jamie Codd
8 Minella Rocco, 11-01, Jonjo O’Neill/Richie McLernon
9 Lake View Lad, 11-01, Nick Alexander/Henry Brooke
10 Pleasant Company, 11-01, Willie Mullins/TBC
11 Ballyoptic, 11-01, Nigel Twiston-Davies/Tom Bellamy
12 Dounikos, 11-00, Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy
13 Rathvinden, 11-00, Willie Mullins/TBC
14 One for Arthur, 11-00, Lucinda Russell/Derek Fox
15 Rock the Kasbah, 10-13, Philip Hobbs/Richard Johnson
16 Warriors Tale, 10-13, Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden
17 Regal Encore, 10-12, Anthony Honeyball/Mark Walsh
18 Magic of Light, 10-11, Jessica Harrington/Paddy Kennedy
19 A Toi Phil, 10-11, Gordon Elliott/Denis O’Regan
20 Jury Duty, 10-11, Gordon Elliott/Robbie Power
21 Noble Endeavor, 10-10, Gordon Elliott/Mark Enright
22 Monbeg Notorious, 10-10, Gordon Elliott/Sean Bowen
23 Ramses De Teillee, 10-09, David Pipe/David Noonan
24 Tea for Two, 10-09, Jane Williams/Lizzie Kelly
25 Mall Dini, 10-08, Patrick Kelly/Sean Flanagan
26 Step Back, 10-07, Mark Bradstock/Nico de Boinville
27 Ultragold, 10-07, Colin Tizzard/Tom O’Brien
28 Blow by Blow, 10-06, Gordon Elliott/Andrew Ring
29 Up for Review, 10-06, Willie Mullins/TBC
30 Singlefarmpayment, 10-06, Tom George/Paddy Brennan
31 Vieux Lion Rouge, 10-06, David Pipe/Tom Scudamore
32 Valseur Lido, 10-06, Henry de Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore
33 Vintage Clouds, 10-04, Sue Smith/Danny Cook
34 General Principle,10-04, Gordon Elliott/J J Slevin
35 Livelovelaugh, 10-04, Willie Mullins/TBC
36 Walk in the Mill, 10-04, Robert Walford/James Best
37 Folsom Blue, 10-04, Gordon Elliott/Luke Dempsey
38 Captain Redbeard, 10-03, Stuart Coltherd/Sam Coltherd
39 Bless the Wings, 10-03, Gordon Elliott/Robert Dunne
40 Joe Farrell, 10-02, Rebecca Curtis/Adam Wedge

Can Tiger Roll Complete the Grand National Two-Timer?

Tiger Roll will bid to become the first horse since the legendary Red Rum to win back-to-back Grand Nationals at Aintree on Saturday. All eyes will be on Gordon Elliott’s star nine-year-old as the runners gather at the start line for the epic 4-mile 514-yard chase. Can he pull it off? Here we assess Tiger Roll’s strengths and weaknesses and analyse whether he can mount a successful defence of his Grand National crown.

The Case for Tiger Roll

Last year Tiger Roll cemented his status as a Cheltenham Festival legend by winning the Cross Country Chase and he headed to the Grand National in fine form. He was the joint second favourite to win the race, but many dismissed his chances of success. He was written off as too small and many thought he could not handle the step up in trip. Yet the smallest horse in the field, dubbed “a little rat of a thing” by owner Michael O’Leary, displayed a lion-sized heart and a great deal of courage as he romped to victory in the biggest race of the year.

This time he has all the momentum once more after he successfully defended the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham last month. He can never be counted out, as he is a supremely versatile performer and he has secured victories over all manner of distances and in various different conditions. If you check out the horse racing spread betting at Sporting Index you will see that he is the shortest priced Grand National favourite in years and deservedly so.

He was handed 10-11 by the handicapper, leaving him very much in the sweet spot, as nine of the last eleven Nationals have gone to horses carrying between 10-07 and 11-06. He is slightly heavier than he was a year ago, but he has not been lumbered with too much weight. He has bags-of-experience now, and you know he has the stamina and jumping ability to finish a race that sees many fallers. He is blessed with terrific pace, and he could well cruise to victory if he is able to run a clean race, so he can absolutely double up at Aintree this year.

The Case Against Tiger Roll

No horse has successfully defended the Grand National since Red Rum, who won it in 1973 and 1974. He finished second in 1975 and 1976, before winning a third National in 1977 to cement his status as one of the greatest chasers of all time. We have not seen anything like that since, as every defending champion has flopped. Tiger Roll was not exactly an emphatic winner last year, as Pleasant Company came within inches of reeling him in, and far more dominant winners have failed to defend the crown the following year.

It’s an utterly brutal race, featuring horrendous fences such as The Chair and Becher’s Brook. Tiger Roll has completed it before, but there is no guarantee that he will do so again. The hazardous nature of the race means that anything can happen to put him off. A stray horse could clatter into him, or he could fall over another runner in a pile-up. It is an extremely prestigious race and the prize money on offer is huge, so it always attracts a competitive field and Tiger Roll could simply be vanquished by a faster horse with better stamina on the day.

The Challengers

A colossal field of 40 runners will contest the Grand National and danger lurks at every turn for Tiger Roll. Rathvinden, Anibale Fly, Vintage Clouds and Lake View Lad are all vying to be the second favourite. Rathvinden is leading the charge for Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins after a strong win in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse. Anibale Fly is always there or thereabouts, having placed in last year’s National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2018 and 2019. Vintage Clouds was third in the Scottish Grand National and looks to be steadily improving, while the lightly raced Lake View Lad is a strong stayer.

Pleasant Company is set to have another crack at glory after coming so close last year, giving Mullins another interesting shot at victory. An outright favourite has not won this race since Hedgehunter back in 2005, and punters have typically fared better when looking further down the field for each-way value. Joe Farrell and Jury Duty are beginning to attract a lot of attention, and Ramses De Teillee is also a big mover, while Ballyoptic also looks interesting.

Will Tiger Roll win the Grand National Again?

The shortest-priced winner in Grand National history was 11/4 shot Poethlyn in 1919, and Tiger Roll could match that exactly 100 years later. We have not seen such a heavy favourite in many years for this race, and he justifies the hype due to his pace, stamina and iron constitution. He could well coast to victory in this race, but at such short odds it is risky, as it is always a madcap, frenetic, congested contest and anything could happen to upset his rhythm. You could back him and hope he gets a clean run, but you might be better off choosing a couple of longer shots each-way.