It's been 32 years since Red Rum won his third Grand National in 1977, having won back-to-back renewals in '73 and' 74, and several horses have tried and failed to emulate him since.
The Grand National 2019 Tiger Roll
Both Hedgehunter and Comply Or Die have gone close, finishing second as retuning heroes in 2006 and 2009 respectively, while the most recent to try, the 2015 winner Many Clouds, could only finish 16th 12 months on
That's a measure of the task facing last year's winner Tiger Roll, who just held on by a head from Pleasant Company after being six lengths clear reaching the elbow, with the pair well clear of the rest. Of the 38 starters, only 12 completed what was an attritional renewal run on heavy ground.
Yet the winner, who is still only nine, an age when most jumps horses are reaching their peak, has come out this season looking as good if not better than ever, winning last month's Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in a common canter by 22 lengths.
And boy did that have bookmakers running for cover, with some layers going as short as 5/1 for a repeat in the Aintree feature straight after the race. Even that price looks big now and Paddy Power are one of several firms quoting Gordon Elliott's pocket-sized superstar at just 7/2.
Could he become the shortest-priced National winner in history, eclipsing 11/4 shot Poethlyn, who won the race in 1919? Few would back against it as he's "come out of Cheltenham very well", according to his trainer, and in an ominous warning for Tiger Roll's opponents, he added: "It looks like he's a different horse this year than he was last year."
The British handicapper is in agreement as he has raised him 8lb for winning the Cross Country, and even his new mark of 167 may underestimate him. But as the National is an early closing race, he gets to run off his old mark (159) and will carry just 11st 1lb providing top weight Bristol De Mai takes his chance and the weights don't go up. To put it in layman's terms, he's carrying less weight than he's entitled to carry and is effectively "thrown in."
Of course, he's still going to need plenty of luck in running - it's the Grand National 2019 after all - and there are plenty more quality horses in the field who could spoil the party, including Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up, Anibale Fly, a 10/1 shot with Paddy Power. However, he's the one they all have to beat and given his credentials no price seems too short.
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