Tiger Roll makes bookmakers pay in Grand National

4-1 favourite Tiger Roll didn’t disappoint his backers and has won on Saturday the Grand National for the second year in a row. Bookmakers estimate that his winning cost them around quarter-of-a-billion-pound.

”We’ve been well and truly wiped out.” – it’s not the first time that bookmakers worldwide show a tendency to overdramatic reactions after a rare poor day for them. But thanks to Tiger Roll, a nine-year-old horse trained by Gordon Elliott, Saturday was possibly „the most expensive Grand National in history.” for bookmakers.

Last year Tiger Roll has won it for the first time with odds 10-1. This time, with 4-1 odds, he was one of the shortest-priced favourites in history. It didn’t stop punters from backing him heavily and rightfully so, as it was proven during the Aintree race.

Bookmakers representatives acknowledged that their losses were softened a little bit by Magic Of Light, a 66-1 shot, surprisingly finishing second and Walk In The Mill, 25-1, claiming fourth place.

Back-to-back wins weren’t achieved in Grand National since successful run by Red Rum in 1974. Next year Tiger Roll will have a chance to become the first horse to register three successive wins. William Hill already priced it at 8-1 and we can see it becoming a popular bet.