Nigel Hawke 'delighted' to see Tiger Roll become National hero

Nigel Hawke insists he has no regrets about selling Tiger Roll five years ago despite seeing him claim Randox Health Grand National glory at Aintree last Saturday.

Hawke, who won the National aboard Seagram in 1991, paid just £10,000 for the son of Authorized in the summer of 2013 and saddled him to win his first race, a juvenile hurdle at Market Rasen in November of that year.

The Devon-based trainer made a significant profit on his investment when Tiger Roll went under the hammer for £80,000 at the Brightwells Cheltenham Sale the following month, with Mags O'Toole the successful bidder on behalf of Gigginstown House Stud.

Market Rasen announced this week that its existing County Bar would be named the Tiger Roll Bar & Lounge to celebrate his initial success.

Hawke said: "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.

"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."

Tiger Roll would go on to join Gordon Elliott and claimed the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival during his first season for his new connections.

While that success was not a major surprise, few could have envisaged that he would go on to become a three-times Cheltenham hero - adding the National Hunt Chase and the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase to his CV - before claiming the world's most famous steeplechase.

"I remember when we sold him I told Gigginstown I felt he could be a Cheltenham horse, either for the Fred Winter or the Triumph Hurdle and he obviously went on to win the Triumph," Hawke recalled.

"I won't pretend I thought he might win a cross country and a Grand National, but as I was saying to someone the other day, this horse always had a jump in him.

"I remember after we bought him there was talk of running him in a three-year-old bumper, but he was such a natural from the day we started schooling him that we said we'd go straight over hurdles.

"At least I can say I found a Grand National winner and the money we made from Tiger Roll helped us buy other horses like Speredek."