ONE can easily imagine the reception Tiger Roll would have received at Cheltenham on St Patrick’s Day had the 2021 Festival not been held behind closed doors. It would likely have rivalled or even surpassed that bestowed on any champion of the near or distant past, probably starting before he had even passed the post.

The five-time Cheltenham Festival star is, of course, also firmly lodged in the history books as a dual winner of the Grand National, unlucky not to have had the chance to go for a record-equalling third win in one of the world’s most famous races. The 11-year-old is a son of the Derby winner Authorized (Montjeu), a stallion who has also supplied the sadly ill-fated Grade 1 standout Nichols Canyon in addition to his string of top-level winners on the flat.