Tiger Roll may find he has a lion’s heart today

Tiger Roll has been called both a “little rat” by his owner Michael O’Leary, and “lion-hearted” by jockey Davy Russell — but the latter quality will be needed if he is to emulate the legendary Red Rum and win back-to-back Grand Nationals at Aintree today.

Youghal’s Russell will once again be in the saddle — trainer Gordon Elliott contributes an astonishing 11 of the 40 runners — and is a hot favourite to become the first horse since Red Rum in 1973/74 to win the world’s greatest steeplechase on successive occasions.