Matt Chapman has claimed that he is "quite happy" that Tiger Roll isn't running in this year's Grand National.
The 12-year-old will not bid to match Red Rum's record of winning the Aintree race three times after Michael O'Leary criticised British Horseracing Authority chief handicapper Martin Greenwood over the mark given to the horse.
The Ryanair supremo, whose horses run under his Gigginstown House Stud banner, issued a statement earlier this week criticising Greenwood, describing his rating of 161 for Tiger Roll as “absurd”.
His statement read: “Tiger Roll is now 12 years old, He is clearly not as good as he was at eight or nine, and yet the UK handicapper now rates him 2lb higher than his 159 rating in April 2019, when he won both the Boyne Hurdle and the Aintree Grand National.
“This rating is absurd, and unfair on a 12-year-old chaser. It is a pity that the handicapper won’t give Tiger Roll either a fair rating or a fair weight in the Aintree Grand National, where he could at least try to emulate Red Rum’s three wins.
“However, the handicapper sets the weights and even if he is manifestly wrong in the case of Tiger Roll, there is nothing we can do about it other than remove him from the race, since we don’t believe it is fair or safe to ask him to carry close to top weight at the age of 12.
“Since the top two horses in the handicap won’t run in Aintree this year, Tiger Roll will have to carry either 11st 8lb or 11st 9lb at the age of 12, which is three years after he carried 11st 5lb at the age of nine to win the great race in April 2019.
“Since we are responsible for the welfare of Tiger Roll, we must protect him from the idiotic opinion of this handicapper. We therefore regret to announce that he will not run in the year’s Aintree Grand National.
“Instead Tiger Roll will be trained for the cross country race in Cheltenham and there is every likelihood that win, lose or draw, this will be his last racecourse appearance
“He will then return home for his well-earned retirement here in Gigginstown for the rest of his days.
“It’s sadly clear from his ratings that this handicapper doesn’t want Tiger Roll to run in this year’s Grand National, he won’t give him a fair chance and sadly the race will be poorer for his absence.”
In his defence, Greenwood had earlier said: “I have relented a bit with Tiger Roll and he is down to 161 from 166 last year, which is 5lb lower.
“As I keep telling people, you can’t just ignore his win in the cross country at Cheltenham last season which was less than 12 months ago when he easily defeated two good horses in Easysland and Some Neck.
“He and Minella Times – the two previous winners among the entries – are both on 161. Minella Times has run two stinkers this year, but it was only three starts ago that he was winning the Grand National.”
The decision was debated on ITV's Opening Show on Saturday as pundits Luke Harvey and Matt Chapman had their say.
Harvey said it's a shame that Tiger Roll won't be running, but added that his absence takes nothing away from the race.
He commented: "The Grand National is bigger than Tiger Roll."
Meanwhile, Chapman added: "I think quite a lot of people are not in love with Tiger Roll anymore and that is purely down to what he has done since those two National wins.
"To be honest, I've had enough of the horse. I don't know why he's still in training. I'm not fussed whether he's there or not.
"I'm a bit miffed at the whole thing and I'm quite happy that he's not there. I don't think the public will remember that far back."
And while some people agreed with their views, not everyone did.
One race fan tweeted: "The way you all glossed over and dismissed the Tiger Roll story was embarrassing to be honest."
Someone else posted: "People accuse O’Leary of being petty but the way they glossed over it and dismissed tiger was just as petty.. ‘Oh your not coming to my party… well i didn’t want you there anyway’."
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