Tiger Roll to virtually race in the Grand National
WHILE the world famous Grand National steeplechase has been cancelled due the coronavirus pandemic, Tiger Roll will take a crack at being the first horse to achieve three successive wins anyway in a computer-simulated race this Saturday, 4th April at 5pm (GMT).
Tiger Roll will race, albeit virtually in the Grand National
The Gordon Elliott trained Tiger Roll, winner in 2018 and 2019, was taking aim at a third win when the race at Aintree in the UK fell afoul of the pandemic.
Irish broadcaster ITV will be showing a Virtual Grand National at the time the race was to run in accurately portrayed CGI, simulating a field of 40 runners that would have likely lined up for the real race. Further racing on the day will see Irish-bred champion Red Rum, who won the National three times in the 1970s against Tiger Roll.
“We use the latest CGI technology and algorithms and were ready to go ahead as a forerunner to the big race,” said ITV Executive Producer Rob McLoughlin. “Virtual contests have been held since 2017 with a good record of forecasting the outcome of the real race, but now we want to cheer the nation up and ask the computer if history could have been made.”
Hosted by racing presenter Nick Luck with jockey Richard Pitman and former jockey Alice Plunkett alongside, the virtual broadcast will fill the empty slot after the Grand National was cancelled.
The simulation produced by Inspired Entertainment is a package of virtual racing, scheduled to include features from the last four years on video podcast available on Wednesday, 1st April.
“In 2017, Cause of Causes won the Virtual Grand National and came a close second in the real race hours later,” said Inspired Entertainment’s chief commercial officer for virtual sports, Steve Rogers. “The 2018 result was breath taking as Tiger Roll won both in almost identical circumstances and the computer chose three of the top five finishers, including Tiger (Roll) in 2019. My team have been working round the clock to make this year even more realistic than ever and we can’t wait to screen the Red Rum versus Tiger Roll match.”
Prior to the Aintree Randox Health Grand National being cancelled, Tiger Roll was an 8-1 favourite while leading challengers were Burrows Saint, Any Second Now and Definitly Red all at 12-1 odds, and Magic of Light at 16-1.
ENDS
