Barry Hearn: the National without Tiger Roll is like Wimbledon without Federer

Leading sports promoter Barry Hearn has said a Randox Grand National without Tiger Roll is racing's loss and compared it to trying to sell a "Wimbledon without Federer" as the general public will be less interested.

Hearn, who made his name as a boxing promoter and has more recently applied his abilities to growing the profile of sports such as snooker and darts, is certain the absence of the sport's most popular horse from its most famous race will have a negative impact.

"It's a quandary," he said. "When you have a horse like Tiger Roll missing the Grand National it's like saying we're doing Wimbledon without Federer, or Djokovic. You don't necessarily lose the whole crowd but you may just lose some, and we're in the business of getting more not losing some."