Grand National 2021 Weights Revealed: Tiger Roll’s Hat-Trick Hopes On a Knife Edge

It was the news that horse racing fans were dreading – the weights for the 2021 Grand National have been revealed, and Tiger Roll has been given an 11st 9lb mark, which is 7lb higher than his second Aintree triumph.

It’s bad news, really, in the sense that the horse’s owner, Michael O’Leary, has said he won’t send his prized asset to Merseyside if asked to lug around such a heavy handicap. And now that the weights have been revealed, Tiger Roll’s attempt at history – he could be the first horse ever to win three consecutive editions of the Grand National.

While O’Leary is yet to confirm definitively whether he will withdraw his star from the April 10 renewal, trainer Gordon Elliott sounded pretty downbeat after the handicaps were revealed despite being ‘keen’ to run him. “I have to concentrate on training the horse and I just hope his owner lets him run in the race for the public,” Elliott said. “Everyone will be looking forward to seeing him run again in the Grand National, but Michael will make that decision.

“From the bottom of my heart it is hard to see him having much less weight with him being such a specialist, but we have what we have so we have got to take it and hopefully he can do us proud.

“It will be disappointing for everyone if he doesn’t turn up, but as you know Michael makes the decisions.”

The lead handicapper, Martin Greenwood, was defiant in his assessment of the various ratings, and declared that ‘….while the O’Learys are perfectly entitled to any opinion they want to offer, I’m perfectly entitled not to listen to it.’

Looking to emulate the legendary Red Rum’s feat of winning three editions of the National, it appears that a lofty rating may just bring an end to Tiger Roll’s date with destiny.

Full List of Weights For the 2021 Grand National

Number	Horse	Country	Age	Weight
1	Bristol de Mai	FR	10	11-10
2	Easysland	FR	7	11-10
3	Santini	GB	9	11-10
4	Delta Work	FR	8	11-9
5	Presenting Percy	GB	10	11-9
6	Tiger Roll	IRE	11	11-9
7	The Storyteller	IRE	10	11-8
8	Chris’s Dream	IRE	9	11-7
9	Battleoverdoyen	IRE	8	11-5
10	Yala Enki	FR	11	11-3
11	Ballyoptic	IRE	11	11-1
12	Definitly Red	IRE	12	11-1
13	Lake View Lad	IRE	11	11-0
14	Ajas	FR	7	10-13
15	Burrows Saint	FR	8	10-13
16	Magic of Light	IRE	10	10-13
17	Acapella Bourgeois	FR	11	10-12
18	Anibale Fly	FR	11	10-12
19	Aso	FR	11	10-12
20	Mister Malarky	GB	8	10-12
21	Talkischeap	IRE	9	10-12
22	Tout Est Permis	FR	8	10-12
23	Bellshill	IRE	11	10-10
24	Beware The Bear	IRE	11	10-10
25	Kimberlite Candy	IRE	9	10-10
26	Pym	IRE	8	10-10
27	Alpha des Obeaux	FR	11	10-9
28	Al Roc	FR	10	10-9
29	Any Second Now	IRE	9	10-9
30	Balko des Flos	FR	10	10-9
31	Brahma Bull	IRE	10	10-8
32	Champagne Classic	IRE	10	10-8
33	Ok Corral	IRE	11	10-8
34	Articulum	IRE	11	10-7
35	Jett	IRE	10	10-7
36	Shattered Love	IRE	10	10-7
37	Takingrisks	IRE	12	10-7
38	The Jam Man	IRE	8	10-7
39	Class Conti	FR	9	10-6
40	Discorama	FR	8	10-6
41	Lord du Mesnil	FR	8	10-6
42	Milan Native	IRE	8	10-6
43	Potters Corner	IRE	11	10-6
44	The Conditional	IRE	9	10-6
45	Cabaret Queen	GB	9	10-5
46	Cloth Cap	IRE	9	10-5
47	Minellacelebration	IRE	11	10-5
48	Robin des Foret	IRE	11	10-5
49	Vieux Lion Rouge	FR	12	10-5
50	Canelo	IRE	8	10-4
51	Give Me A Copper	IRE	11	10-4
52	Glen Forsa	IRE	9	10-4
53	The Long Mile	GB	7	10-4
54	Yorkhill	IRE	11	10-4
55	Agusta Gold	IRE	8	10-3
56	Farclas	FR	7	10-3
57	Hogan’s Height	IRE	10	10-3
58	Minella Times	IRE	8	10-3
59	Sub Lieutenant	IRE	12	10-3
60	Ami Desbois	FR	11	10-2
61	Blaklion	GB	12	10-2
62	Double Shuffle	IRE	11	10-2
63	Gold Present	IRE	11	10-2
64	Keeper Hill	IRE	10	10-2
65	Moyhenna	IRE	9	10-2
66	Death Duty	IRE	10	10-1
67	Secret Reprieve	IRE	7	10-1
68	Some Neck	FR	10	10-1
69	Rocky’s Treasure	IRE	10	10-0
70	Cap du Nord	FR	8	9-13
71	Deise Aba	IRE	8	9-13
72	Fagan	GB	11	9-13
73	Golan Fortune	IRE	9	9-13
74	Jerrysback	IRE	9	9-13
75	Kauto Riko	FR	10	9-13
76	Saturnas	FR	10	9-13
77	Storm Control	IRE	8	9-13
78	Valtor	FR	12	9-13
79	Another Venture	IRE	10	9-11
80	Captain Drake	IRE	8	9-11
81	Crievehill	IRE	9	9-11
82	Run Wild Fred	IRE	7	9-11
83	The Hollow Ginge	IRE	8	9-11
84	Fitzhenry	IRE	9	9-10
85	Flying Angel	IRE	10	9-10
86	Le Breuil	FR	9	9-10
87	Prime Venture	IRE	10	9-10
88	Achille	FR	11	9-9
89	A Toi Phil	FR	11	9-9
90	Dounikos	FR	10	9-9
91	Hold The Note	IRE	7	9-9
92	Plan of Attack	IRE	8	9-9
93	Roaring Bull	IRE	8	9-9
94	Musical Slave	IRE	8	9-8
95	Soupy Soups	IRE	10	9-8
96	Treacysenniscorthy	IRE	9	9-8
97	Beau Bay	FR	10	9-7
98	Hear No Evil	IRE	9	9-7
99	Shantou Flyer	IRE	11	9-7
100	Monbeg Notorious	IRE	10	9-6
101	Aforementioned	FR	8	9-5
102	Saint Xavier	FR	9	9-5
103	Fingerontheswitch	IRE	11	9-3
104	One Style	FR	11	9-3
105	Bellow Mome	FR	10	9-2

Easysland Given Difficult Task

After trouncing Tiger Roll and the rest of the field in the Glenfarclas Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last year, Easysland announced himself as a Grand National contender of some repute.

Unfortunately for David Cottin, such a lofty reputation has led to his French fancy being declared top weight at 11st 10lb alongside three-time Betfair Chase winner Bristol De Mai and Cheltenham Gold Cup runner up Santini.

Former RSA Chase winner Presenting Percy joins Tiger Roll on 11st 9lb, while Delta Work – also running off a rating of 166 – is poised to miss out on the National anyway after suffering an injury at Elliott’s yard.

Trevor Hemmings needs one more Grand National victory to become the most successful owner in the race’s history, and he will be delighted that his main contender – bookmakers’ ante post favourite Cloth Cap – has been given an agreeable rating of 148, which equates to 10st 5lb in weight. His other hopefuls are Lake View Lad (11st) and Deise Aba (9st 13lb).

Magic of Light, the runner up in 2019, will set off to go one better at 10st 13lb, while Potters Corner – who triumphed in the ‘virtual’ Grand National televised on ITV in 2020 to replace the cancelled race – carries 10st 6lb.