Tiger Roll marched into the history books - and cost bookmakers millions of pounds in the process.
The 4/1 favourite stormed to a stunning second successive Grand National victory, becoming the first horse since the great Red Rum 45 years ago to celebrate back-to-back wins at Aintree.
And in doing so, it meant the bookies had to bankroll delirious punters across the country who were celebrating Tiger Roll’s historic feat, which is believed to have cost £200million.
Trained by Gordon Elliott, Tiger Roll appeared to hold outstanding claims of claiming a second victory on Merseyside, having looked better than ever in winning his two most recent starts in the Boyne Hurdle at Navan and the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase - his fourth Cheltenham Festival win.
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Davy Russell had the favourite well positioned throughout the four-and-a-quarter-mile journey and after moving to the front, he found plenty on the long run-in to claim an historic victory over 66-1 chance Magic Of Light. Rathvinden (8-1) was third, with Walk In The Mill (25-1) fourth.
Winning owner Michael O'Leary will pocket over half a million pounds for Tiger Roll's success.
And the multi-millionaire Ryanair chief said: "It's unbelievable.
“It's a phenomenal training performance by Gordon. It's brilliant that he keeps bringing this horse back at Cheltenham better than ever and Aintree better than ever.
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"And what a ride by Davy - fantastic. It's unbelievable, to win two Grand Nationals is just incredible.
"It's a great result for the punters as well."
According to Oddschecker, Tiger Roll's popularity in the Grand National market peaked on the 13th March, where he received a mammoth 82.4 per cent of all bets after winning the Cross Country and was cut from 12/1 to 5/1 favourite.
The only horse to come close to trumping last year’s champion was Anibale Fly and that was on Gold Cup day, where the JP McManus owned nine-year-old finished second in the Gold Cup and accrued 31.8 per cent of bets, 7 per cent more than Tiger Roll.
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Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek said: “Bookies will be tearing their hair out after that Grand National result.
“The short price on Tiger Roll didn't put punters off right up to the off, with money piling in on Gordon Elliott's history-maker for months. Rathvinden and Anibale Fly won't have helped the cause with their top six finishes."
Betway’s Alan Alger said: “The quarter of a billion pound bombshell has landed. Tiger Roll has gone back to back and inflicted the most expensive result in Grand National history. People have been backing this horse since he got his head in front here last year and he will go down as the greatest ever result for punters.
“There’s been a few favourable results across the week for us bookies, but it was always going to come down to the National and we’ve been well and truly wiped out.”
