Davy Russell Hoping To Still Get Grand National Call Up Next Year

leading Irish rider Davy Russell is hoping that Tiger Roll will be given his chance to break record and become the first horse in the sport to land a hat-trick of Grand National's at Aintree next year.

Liverpool's show stopping event will not go ahead this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic and this alines with the rest of the racing in calendar across Great Britain and Ireland with all events suspended until further notice.

Tiger Roll was set to be the main attraction on Merseyside a week on Saturday as he headed into the meeting off the back of back to back wins in the longest steeplechase in the world.

(Credit At The Races) Russell said: “You’d love a go, you’d love a crack at it, unfortunately it’s not to be, but we’ve won two and they’ve been very special.

“Gordon has said maybe there could be a chance he’ll stay in training to have a cut at it next year, so there’s always positives in things. We’ll have to wait and see, but it is a pity.

“From this week in we’ve always been building towards a Grand National and the last two Nationals I’ve been to, I’ve won – it’s a happy hunting ground for me at the moment.

“It’s just unfortunate we’re not going to get a cut at it this year, but listening to the comments, there’s a chance he might be there next year.”

Russell has also spoken out Presenting Percy's run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and was slightly left with unanswered questions of where the gelding could have finished up.

He added: “I was about to pull the trigger on him – whether he would have won is in the lap of the gods, but I felt like I was going to finish in front of Monalee and I just felt at the time, turning off the bend, I had him covered and he finished a close fourth.

“I was ready to pull the trigger on my lad to let him have one cut at him up the hill and unfortunately we didn’t get that opportunity.

“He’s a very good horse and Pat (Kelly) has had him in great shape – compared to last year it felt like I was riding a completely different horse.

“He was really on song and jumped brilliant up to that. He’d never done it before, but it was always in him to have a go at a fence.”