O'Leary throws ball into handicapper's court over Tiger Roll hat-trick bid

Michael O'Leary has the pantomime villain role down to a fine art, so the chances are his assertion that Tiger Roll is unlikely to bid for an unprecedented third Grand National in a row next year is all part of the show.

A bit of posturing over running plans is now a routine ploy for the Gigginstown chief, and he surely won't deprive the sport's only box-office star a chance at real history. On the contrary, you'd like to think O'Leary won't be able to resist the allure of such an epoch-defining legacy.

Given that the National fences at Aintree now lack even the firmness of those on a park course, it was disappointing to hear O'Leary raise the risk angle as a possible deterrent.