UPDATED 6:42PM, FEB 21 2021
Disappointed but not completely disillusioned. That was the reaction of Gordon Elliott after dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll trailed home last of the six finishers behind Beacon Edge in the Ladbrokes Ireland Boyne Hurdle at Navan on Sunday.
There was no mention of the Grand National from Elliott afterwards – William Hill have pushed him all the way out to 25-1 for that – but the good news for his legions of fans is that the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase remains very much part of the plan. You have certainly not seen the last of him.
Elliott said: "It's still all systems go for Cheltenham. Keith [Donoghue] said he travelled well to the third-last but it was horrible ground and he just got tired. Of course I would have liked him to run better, but Keith said he hated the ground."