Owner Nigel Hawke has indicated he has no regrets at all regarding the selling of Grand National winner Tiger Roll.
Hawke (himself a National winner in 1991, atop Seagram), purchased the horse in 2013 for £10,000, and rode the then three-year-old to a first career victory at Market Rasen.
Later that year the son of Authorized once again went up for sale, being snapped up by the Gigginstown House Stud for £80,000 – a tidy profit for Hawke.
Watching the races, Hawke conceded he had mixed feelings but was ultimately happy to see his former charge cross the post in first place:
I obviously watched the race on Saturday and there was nobody cheering louder than me. It was a little bit of a strange feeling after he’d won, but I was delighted really.
Knowing the talent the horse had, Hawke said he had hoped to hold onto the prospect, but admitted the pay-day couldn’t be sniffed at.
We’d have loved to have kept him, but we were making £70,000 profit in just over three months and we couldn’t turn it down.
Under the tutelage of Gordon Elliott, Tiger Roll has become one of the most feared jump racers in the equine world, as a bright future beckons for the Gigginstown product.
