David Ord on what lies ahead as the weights are unveiled for the Randox Health Grand National

But from day one the O’Learys have owned the narrative, flicking between won’t run, can’t run, and unlikely to run at regular intervals. A big part of their angst is anticipation of what handicapper Martin Greenwood will do with their remarkable ten-year-old when the weights for the great race are unveiled.

That particular waiting game ends on Tuesday lunchtime – but you sense the saga over whether the defending champion will turn up on the first Saturday in April will rumble on.

There’s a chance Michael O’Leary will retire him on the spot if he wins a third successive Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase at Cheltenham next month. It would be his fifth win at the Festival and his owner has indicated that it would be a good time to say enough is enough, surrounded by his adoring public.

But could he really resist a crack at sporting immortality? Because that’s exactly what’s on the line in the National. As huge as Cheltenham has become, it’s the unique test in Liverpool that is our sport’s biggest draw. Even in ever changing times when jumps racing walks the tightrope of public opinion and animal welfare concerns on a daily basis, the Grand National pulls in a domestic terrestrial TV audience of ten million.

Yes, the National matters – and so does Tiger Roll.

I never thought I’d see a horse with a genuine shot at three Aintree victories – even two seemed a stretch. But Tiger Roll didn’t just win last year, he produced a performance that ranks right up there with the best of the modern era.

He travelled and jumped as though he owned Aintree and having burst clear after the last, there was no strong-rallying rival to raise the blood pressure as Pleasant Company managed in the final, desperate strides of 2018.

He won with 11st 5lb on his back from a mark of 159. Both will be higher this time around but neither are obstacles to him running – or winning a third.

Gordon Elliott, speaking in November, anticipated 11st 10lb and was comfortable with that. It remains to be seen if he’s not only a fine trainer, but a handicapper and mathematician of note too. I sense he might be.

Greenwood’s job isn’t to make sure Tiger Roll runs – it’s to ensure sure he, and the other 39 who’ll face the starter, have a fair chance of winning. He’s an unflappable, affable man who will take the responsibility and post-event reaction in his stride.

This is the one race a year when the senior handicapper has the authority to act outside the official ratings. It was a power his predecessor Phil Smith seemed to relish. For Greenwood, it’s something he acknowledges without ever overplaying.

Last year he emerged unscathed from his first outing, his main, headline act being allowing top weight Bristol De Mai to run from 168 (five below his official mark) which compressed the weights at the top of the handicap.

It wasn’t enough to tempt connections to run the dashing grey in 2019 but the tried and tested format of compressing the top of the handicap is likely to be in evidence again.

Native River looks one potential beneficiary and he’s a horse I’d love to see contest a Randox Health Grand National. So would Colin Tizzard, but owners, the Broom family, will take some persuading.

He got the job done with the minimum of fuss in the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury on Saturday and would be a player again in the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup if the wet weather rolls on for another month or so.

But cut loose over the new-look National fences, he’d not only be some sight, but very hard to catch.

Willie Mullins will be keen to see where he stands with his Irish National winner Burrows Saint, who has had a traditional Aintree prep of Grade One chase followed by spin over hurdles before Greenwood reveals the magic numbers.

Walk In the Mill has gone back-to-back in the Becher Chase and is one of the few in the field who can look Tiger Roll in the eye when we talk about Aintree specialists.

Kimberlite Candy produced a career best effort to win the Classic Chase at Warwick last time and is a big player for JP McManus, while Welsh National hero Potters Corner is on course to bid to complete a huge double of his own.

There are a number of other fascinating runners and high profile contenders who, as the dust settles towards the end of the week, will start attracting their own column inches.

But on Tuesday lunchtime it’s all about Tiger Roll, the chance to celebrate past achievements and look ahead to what could be his finest hour.

Whatever happens in St George’s Hall won’t rule him in or out. The protestations of the autumn will have fallen on deaf ears as will the outrage of spring, if that is what follows.

Racing needs him to run, to give us the shot at a story that will shake up the sporting world and get the great race back to the front of the news bulletins for all the right reasons.

He’s earned a lofty rating and a big weight – but the exciting thing is he looks capable of defying both if arriving there fit and firing on the day.

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