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Tiger Roll 'well placed' to go for three-in-a-row - Colm Keys

Tiger Roll raced into the history books on Saturday with a sensational ride to claim his second s...



Tiger Roll 'well placed' to go...
Racing

Tiger Roll 'well placed' to go for three-in-a-row - Colm Keys

Tiger Roll raced into the history books on Saturday with a sensational ride to claim his second successive Grand National at Aintree.

Trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Davy Russell, the Michael O'Leary owned horse became the first runner to claim back-to-back Grand Nationals since 1974.

Colm Keys joined Joe for this week's Sunday Paper Review and was quick to praise the achievment, saying: "It was [extraordinary]. Michael O'Leary suggested he's not going to bring Tiger Roll back for an attempt at a third in succession but I suspect he doesn't want to buy the Ryanair passengers three drinks!

"Last year it was one, last night it was two and I'm sure he's going to recoil from purchasing three next year! Because, the Aintree Grand National is designed for horses not to win two years running. Obviously with a handicap - that's the way it's designed. It's like the draft in American Football but the way he won it yesterday was absolutely magnificent.

Chasing Red Rum 

"For a horse that five years ago won a Triumph Hurdle as a four year old in Cheltenham over two miles and is able to take on the Aintree fences, the cross-country chase twice, has won four times in Cheltenham and now twice back-to-back [at the Grand National]. And, if you think, of a certain vintage, Red Rum was the stand out horse for a lot of people and now Tiger Roll , this diminutive horse has gone and matched his feat of winning at Aintree.

"Red Rum went and won a third, three years after his second - there was a considerable gap there. But, Tiger Roll is probably still very, very well placed to go back again. He's a nine year old - at ten years of age coming into some element of maturity. Even at that stage for a race of that significance and that length so I think he's very well positioned to come back. Michael didn't even think [he'd win] - he was just hopeful he'd get around yesterday," he added.

 

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Davy Russell Gordon Elliott Grand National Horse Racing Michael O'Leary Red Rum Tiger Roll