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.