Gordon Elliott has reported that Tiger Roll is still on track to run in the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham, despite another disappointing effort at Navan on Sunday.

The dual Grand National winner was having his first run since November, taking in his usual warm up run in the Boyne Hurdle. Having travelled into the straight nicely under Keith Donoghue, he briefly looked threatening before failing to pick up at all, trailing 65 lengths behind from the winner Beacon Edge in last place.

Tiger Roll has won at the Cheltenham Festival four times, including twice in the Cross Country, but he was beaten by up-and-comer Easysland in that contest last season and has failed to spark since.

Elliott said: “Keith said he travelled well to the third last, in horrible ground, and just got tired. It’s still all systems go for Cheltenham. Keith said he was happy with him, but he just got tired in the ground. He’ll be ok. Of course you want him to run better, but he hated that ground.”

Earlier in the week, the British Horseracing Authority published weights for the Grand National and Tiger Roll was allotted 11st 9lb. Owner Michael O’Leary has stated that the 11-year-old will not run at Aintree unless he is given what O’Leary himself deems as a fair appraisal in terms of weight.

Much will depend on how Tiger Roll runs at Cheltenham now and if the son of Authorized disappoints again, his historic bid of trying to emulate Red Rum’s three Grand Nationals could well be ruled out.

Cheltenham hopefuls

It was a big weekend for a number of Cheltenham aspirants, and in contrasting style to Tiger Roll, Goshen got his career right back on track with an excellent 22-length win in the Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton.

At Cheltenham last season Gary Moore’s gelding looked set to blow his Triumph Hurdle rivals away but for a freakish slip-up after the last which led to the unseating of the trainer’s son Jamie, and the five-year-old had been well beaten in all three starts since.

However he turned his fortunes around on Saturday and his delighted trainer beamed: “You can’t believe how pleased I am! He is entitled to take his chance now [in the Champion Hurdle] on what he has done today.

“We’ll see how he is this week and discuss it with his owner but all being well we’ll be aiming him for Cheltenham.”

Goshen is as short as 9/2 in the Champion Hurdle market now, just behind mares Honeysuckle and Epatante.