Tiger Roll burns bright to raise anticipation for record-breaking assignments

He has been the burning ember behind a number of front page stories since October without leaving his box but Tiger Roll did his bit to raise the temperature on what was a bitterly cold day at Navan on Sunday.

Nothing about his performance in the Boyne Hurdle suggested he will be heading back to Cheltenham with anything other than an outstanding chance of equalling the feat achieved by Quevega and Golden Miller by recording five festival victories.

After that, there is the small matter of trying to become the first horse since Red Rum to win three Grand Nationals and the only one to land those wins in succession.