Tiger stays on a roll as other festival stars fail to shine this season

What a fabulous performance by Tiger Roll in the Boyne Hurdle at Navan on Sunday, an exuberant display by the Grand National winner who had not run over hurdles for the best part of three years.

How wrong were punters and pundits who had assumed this was merely a day out to blow away the cobwebs at his local track.

In strict analytic terms, the form is suspect. Runner-up Off You Go was entering new territory having climbed through the handicap ranks, third-placed Cracking Smart was appearing on the back of a tailed-off run on his seasonal debut and, most crucially, favourite Bachasson ran a lifeless race and was reported to have made a respiratory noise. Coquin Mans is clearly not in love with the game at present, and Tiger Roll's 14-year-old stablemate Bless The Wings was hardly a serious contender.