Michael O'Leary withdraws Tiger Roll from Aintree Grand National

Tiger Roll will not bid for a record-equalling third Randox Grand National triumph after being ruled out of the Aintree spectacular by his owner Michael O'Leary.

The Ryanair supremo, whose horses run under his Gigginstown House Stud banner, has issued a statement criticising British Horseracing Authority chief handicapper Martin Greenwood, describing his rating of 161 for Tiger Roll as "absurd".

O’Leary’s decision came just hours after the weights for the world’s greatest steeplechase were announced at a special ceremony in Liverpool with Tiger Roll, trained by Gordon Elliott, being allotted 11st 4lb.

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