Tiger Roll favored to repeat in Grand National

Tiger Roll can become the first horse to win consecutive runnings of the historic Grand National steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse in England in 45 years on Saturday.

Success would make Tiger Roll one of the shortest-priced favorites in the history of the race at 4 9/16 miles.

As of Thursday, Tiger Roll was 7-2 in future-book betting in a field of 40. The shortest-priced winner in history was Poethyln at 11-4 in 1919. Golden Miller was the shortest-priced runner in history, going off at 2-1 in 1935. Golden Miller, who won the 1934 Grand National, and five runnings of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in his career, unseated his jockey at the 11th fence in 1935.

The $1,306,000 Grand National is run over 30 fences. Last year, Tiger Roll took the lead between the 27th and 28th fences. Ridden by Davy Russell, Tiger Roll led by six lengths with a furlong to go and was fully extended to prevail by a head over Pleasant Company.

The last horse to win consecutive runnings of the Grand National was the famous Red Rum in 1973-74. He later won the race again in 1977.

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Russell is back aboard Tiger Roll for Saturday’s race, which will be Tiger Roll’s fourth start of the jump racing season, the heart of which runs from mid-October to early spring. Tiger Roll was fourth in a cross-country chase at Cheltenham last November, but is unbeaten in two starts this calendar year – the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle at Navan, Ireland, in February, and a 22-length win in a cross-country chase at 3 3/4 miles at Cheltenham on March 13.

Immediately after the recent Cheltenham win, Tiger Roll was 6-1 for the Grand National, a price that shortened in recent weeks.

Tiger Roll may be part of history regardless of his odds or success. As of Thursday, the 9-year-old Tiger Roll was one of 11 entrants for Irish trainer Gordon Elliott. If all 11 start, Elliott, 41, will set a record for most runners in a single year, surpassing Martin Pipe, who had 10 in 2001.

Tiger Roll is owned by Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud. They will all wear the stable’s distinctive maroon and white silks, but the riders will have different colored caps.

Gigginstown House Stud has won two of the last three runnings, including the 2016 running with Rule The World, who was trained by Mouse Morris.

Aside from Tiger Roll, who will carry 155 pounds under the handicap conditions, topweight Anibale Fly (164 pounds) and Rathvinden (154) were next in the betting, at 10-1 on Thursday. Anibale Fly, trained by Tony Martin in Ireland, was second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 16. Rathvinden, trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, won the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in Ireland on Feb. 23.

Among the lower-weighted horse, there has been support for Joe Farrell, who will carry 142 pounds. Joe Farrell won the Scottish Grand National last April and was a game second in a handicap chase at Newbury on March 23.

Joe Farrell, a 10-year-old gelding who was 20-1 on Thursday, is trained by Rebecca Curtis, a former assistant to Dan Hendricks in Southern California earlier this century.