Tiger Roll Slams Rivals in Cross Country Chase
Tiger Roll is a horse of the people and one that many have a huge soft spot for. He won for a fourth time at the Cheltenham Festival this week, winning back to back Cross Country Chases and looking as good as ever. His next stop will be the 2019 Grand National, following the same path as last season as he looks to win the big race for a second consecutive season.
Those who fancy Tiger Roll for the National will hopefully have their bet on already. The horse has halved in price after winning so well at Cheltenham, and he is now the clear favourite. And it is pretty certain that he will go off as the favourite on the day.
If you want a positive for backing him this year to win the National again then you only have to look at the form he is in right now. He went into the race last season on the back of a losing run and a narrow win in the Cross Country and won the National in style. This time he goes into the race on the back of a comfortable Grade Two hurdle win in Ireland and a facile 22 length victory in the Glenfarclas Cross Country.
Of course, this time around, he has more weight to carry in the National and that will make things tougher. But the horse looks to be in the form of his life right now, and there is every reason to think he can carry the additional weight home.
To win a National you must jump well and also travel through a race on the bridle and we saw those both to great effect during the Cross Country. This is a horse that can sit behind the pace and travel sweetly on the bridle, but he also has the turn of foot to get up and into a race when it is needed, which is key for the National.
He won’t lose any ground at the fences because he is a very slick jumper, and when you put all that together with the form he is in currently, it is no surprise at all to see him as short as 5/1 to win the 2019 Grand National, even at this early stage. His price now indicates that he is going to be one of the shortest-priced horses we have seen in a long while in this wide-open race, and that doesn’t come as a surprise.
When we get to the day, April 6th 2019, he will have even more support from those who don’t really follow horse racing. They will remember his name as a winner from last year, and those who backed him last year are unlikely to desert him at this key moment.
We have a great chance to see a double Grand National winner this season, and if there is a horse in training that deserves it, then that horse is certainly Tiger Roll.
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