Fair or unfair? Two writers argue for and against Tiger Roll's National weight

Michael O'Leary shocked the racing world on Tuesday when he declared Tiger Roll would not bid to equal Red Rum's record of three wins in the Grand National, stating a mark of 161 was too high for him to consider running the 12-year-old.

Here, two Racing Post writers consider whether the mark was fair.

Why it's unfair

By Dylan Hill

There's no way I'm going to defend Michael O'Leary's ludicrous statement in which he attacked the poor BHA handicapper Martin Greenwood, even disgracefully claiming that there was now a welfare issue with running Tiger Roll in his pursuit of a third Grand National at Aintree.

But the fact remains that I think it would have been fair – and the right thing for the sport – to rate Tiger Roll at least slightly lower than the mark of 161 he was allotted.

The argument that it's a harsh mark is a fairly straightforward one in my view. It is 2lb higher than the 159 he won off in 2019 and he has run nine times since, only once in that period producing an effort within a stone of what he did that day on Racing Post Ratings.

That came in Cheltenham's Cross Country Chase, which bears very little resemblance to any other track – the National course has far more in common with park courses than the cross-country course.

Yes, form over the National fences plays a big part in Greenwood's assessment. But Tiger Roll hasn't run over the course for three years, which is a hell of a long time in the life of a racehorse, and he is now 12.

No horse of that age has won the race since Amberleigh House in 2004 and just two in more than 30 years, and weren't we supposed to be dropping ageing horses in the handicap more readily these days anyway?

At the very least, I think there is a case that Greenwood could have gone easier on Tiger Roll and, if in any doubt, he should have shown some leniency for the sake of the sport.

A truly iconic achievement is on the line in the people's race, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the sport with millions of eyes on it and where other sports might tweak and change rules, or create entirely new formats, in an attempt to generate more interesting storylines and to be more entertaining and relevant, racing stuck rigidly to a mark that ruled out its most bankable star.

Not that leniency would necessarily have got Tiger Roll to Aintree – O'Leary's statement smacks of someone who was determined to kick up a fuss regardless. But it would have been the fair and right thing to dangle more of a carrot – and then he'd have looked more ridiculous than he does anyway.

Tiger Roll: Gigginstown star will not be running at Aintree, according to Michael O'LearyCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Why it's fair

By Stuart Riley

Connections refused to run Tiger Roll in last year's race off a mark of 166. The handicapper made the concession and dropped a dual winner of the race 5lb. What more do they want?

He comes into this year's race just 2lb higher than when he absolutely hacked up in 2019. An extra 2lb would not have stopped him that day. In weights and measures he'd actually carry 1lb less (he is currently on 11st 4lb this year and carried 11st 5lb to victory that day).

Moreover, given Gigginstown own one of the two topweights in Conflated they can absolutely guarantee the weights do not go up at all – if they wanted to. Gordon Elliott said he thought he'd been given "a nice weight".

Letting him in off any lower than 161 undermines the integrity of the whole contest and is unfair on the other 106 entries and 39 competitors. You cannot have exceptions to the handicap; its sole purpose is to level the playing field.

Furthermore, if you want to go down the road that Tiger Roll's participation would have been so good for the sport, I'd bear in mind the fact that sports have to toe a fine line when it comes to making their product more watchable.

Look at the finish to the F1 season. The title battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen created the massive interest, millions worldwide were drawn to the finale, but a great many were left with a sour taste and a reinforcement in their conviction the sport was not worth following after some highly questionable decisions, decisions that felt weighted far more in what would create the most drama than in following the sport's rules.

Sport is entertainment, yes, but mess with the basic principles of fairness and competition and you become wrestling, an athletic but scripted theatre production designed to thrill. In this case, the fair thing to do was to give Tiger Roll a mark befitting of a dual winner, even if he is 12.

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