Tiger Roll is set to face eight rivals as he bids to add the Grade One Betway Bowl Chase to his remarkable list of high-profile victories.

The five-time Cheltenham Festival winner and dual Grand National hero has become a household name without taking on top staying chasers at level weights.

But owners Gigginstown House Stud decided to make an exception this time, and Tiger Roll runs at Aintree on Thursday – rather than either Monday’s Irish Grand National or the Randox Grand National at the weekend.

The 11-year-old, trained by Denise Foster, had been out of form since his second National triumph in 2019 before bouncing back with a convincing victory in the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase at Cheltenham last month.

Heading the opposition to him this week is 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Native River, who was fourth in the latest renewal of that great race.

Clan Des Obeaux, winner of the King George VI Chase in 2018 and 2019, looks a formidable foe too – as does Waiting Patiently, runner-up in this season’s King George and winner of the Ascot Chase in 2018.

Aso, Clondaw Castle, Militarian, Mister Fisher and Real Steel complete the list of contenders for the three-mile one-furlong feature.

Buveur D’Air will bid to roll back the years and win a second Betway Aintree Hurdle. Nicky Henderson’s 10-year-old lifted Thursday’s Grade One prize over two-and-a-half miles in 2017, and was runner-up in 2019.

The dual Champion Hurdle winner was sidelined for 420 days when suffering a freak injury in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle in November 2019 – and returned to action only in January when he was beaten by Navajo Pass at Haydock.

Henderson also runs Buzz – while Silver Steak, who was a well-beaten fifth in the 2019 renewal of this race on his only previous attempt at two-and-a-half miles, is among the 11 declared this time.

The Evan Williams-trained grey won the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton this winter and was sixth in the Champion Hurdle on his latest start.

Tom Symonds’ Song For Someone, who defeated Silver Streak by a nose in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December, is among the opposition – along with the talented but unpredictable Not So Sleepy.

The two Irish-trained runners are Denise Foster’s Abacadabras and Henry de Bromhead’s Jason The Militant, winner of the Red Mills Trial Hurdle. The other runners are Ballyandy, Brewin’upastorm, McFabulous and Millers Bank.

Emmet Mullins’ versatile performer The Shunter is one of seven declared for the SSS Super Alloys Manifesto Novices’ Chase.

The eight-year-old is effective over hurdles and fences, and scooped a £100,000 bonus for connections when winning the Paddy Power Plate Handicap Chase at Cheltenham after taking Kelso’s Morebattle Hurdle.

Rivals include the Henderson-trained Fusil Raffles, who was second to stablemate Chantry House in the Marsh Novices’ Chase at the Festival.

Eldorado Allen, Hitman, Phoenix Way, Protektorat and Umbrigado are also in the mix.

Adagio, runner-up in the Triumph Hurdle, will try to go one better in the Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.

The David Pipe-trained four-year-old is already a Grade One winner, having landed the Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow in January.

There are two unbeaten horses over hurdles among the six runners – Paul Nicholls’ Monmiral and Donald McCain’s Fiveandtwenty.

Dan Skelton’s pair Carlos Felix and John Locke, plus the Henderson-trained Paros, make up the sextet.

The going at Aintree is now Good to Soft, Good in places across all three courses (Mildmay, Hurdle and Grand National) ahead of this week’s Randox Grand National Festival, which gets underway on Thursday.

Watering began at Aintree last week and yesterday saw five millimetres of irrigation applied to Mildmay and Hurdle courses and six millimetres to the Grand National course. Further watering is taking place today.

Aintree’s Clerk of the Course Sulekha Varma said: “We have gone Good to Soft, Good in places on all three courses and are watering again today. The Mildmay and Hurdle courses will receive between three and five millimetres of irrigation, while we will put another six millimetres on the Grand National course.

“At the end of today we will come to a decision about what we are going to do tomorrow. I am sure we will be doing some watering again tomorrow as we aim to begin the Randox Grand National Festival with Good to Soft ground on Thursday.

“I am very pleased with how Aintree is looking. There is fantastic grass cover and walking the Grand National course today it feels pretty much like perfect ground. There are a few areas where a little more watering is needed to make it Good to Soft and then we will be all set.”

The forecast is for chilly conditions, with temperatures dipping below freezing at night and morning grass frosts. Today and tomorrow are expected to be largely dry, with just the slight chance of a snow flurry. Thursday is also predicted to be largely dry, with the chance of a brief shower overnight into Friday (1-3 millimetres of rain). Dry and sunny conditions are forecast for Friday, while cloudier conditions are looking likely for Saturday.

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