Timiyan "type of horse you want" for Hurdle Gordon Elliott believes Timiyan has the right profile to provide the trainer with an elusive first victory in the Guinness Galway Hurdle. The Cullentra handler saddled three consecutive runners-up of the prestigious €300,000 contest, with Cause Of Causes, Flaxen Flare and Bayan all finding one too good between 2012 and 2014. The Elliott-trained Dirar was also third in 2010 and 2011. This year the County Meath handler has three contenders, with Timiyan appearing the stable's number one hope, having won each of his two starts since moving from Dermot Weld's stable. "We've been second three times, so it would be nice to win it," said Elliott. "He (Timiyan) does nothing fancy at home but does everything right on the track. I think he's in good form. "He's got a lovely weight of 10st 4lb, so I'm looking forward to running him. That's the type of horse you want. We know he stays and, with a bit of luck, he'll run a big race." Elliott also saddles Automated and The Game Changer. Timiyan is one of seven runners for leading owner JP McManus along with Tony Martin's 2014 winner Thomas Edison, Joseph O'Brien's pair of Plinth and Tigris River, the Tom Mullins-trained Princely Conn, Western Boy from Pat Fahy's yard and John Quinn's British challenger Project Bluebook. McManus also has the first reserve in All The Answers, another O'Brien inmate. The owner's retained rider Barry Geraghty has sided with Tigris River, who is a course-and-distance winner, was fifth in last year's renewal and won comfortably at Bellewstown last month. Geraghty said: "It obviously wasn't a straightforward choice, but he (Tigris River) won nicely the last day and ran a good race in this last year. He's a hopeful choice. "Timiyan comes into the race in good form and Thomas Edison has won the race before and was going well when he fell at the last the following year, so he was in the melting pot, too."
