Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 10th April 2021, 10:02 AMYes, this handicapping thing is unpopular with the horse owners, didn't Tiger Roll pull out because of the extra weight it was to carry? Seems like a shot in the foot by the race holders, surely the hype and interest and resulting money they'd have got with a horse attempting to equal the record of 3 wins merited a bit of leniency.
The handicapping is based on each horse's official ratings based on past performances. Fiddling about with those to please the connections of one horse would set a very dangerous precedent. Most owners/trainers feel their horses are rated too highly.
Michael O'Leary was just trying to make a point - much as he does with Ryanair's policies. He probably believed Tiger Roll wouldn't win anyway and was looking for a way out as, at the time, he'd run very poorly over the last year or two. Until he went and hacked up at Cheltenham last month. By which time he'd already been taken out.
I'm not sure how Aintree would have got any more money if Tiger Roll had run. There are no spectators to pay admission prices and, in any case, it is invariably a maximum attendance regardless of who runs.