Chosen Mate has been identified as the chosen one for the Guinness Galway Hurdle as Gordon Elliott attempts to plunder a first victory in the most valuable hurdle race in Ireland.
Elliott, who masterminded a third Grand National triumph when Tiger Roll recorded back-to-back wins at Aintree in April, has one eye on his legion of winter warriors as they return from their summer holidays but not before he unleashes a power-packed squad on Galway's seven-day marathon, which begins on Monday.
Chosen Mate, a Grade 2-winning novice hurdler last term, is no bigger than 10-1 for Thursday week's €300,000 showpiece and will head to Galway having blown the cobwebs away on the Flat at Leopardstown last week as the trainer attempts to bring a long-term plan to fruition.
Elliott said: "Chosen Mate has a good chance in the Galway Hurdle. He had a nice run at Leopardstown on his return and that will have left him spot on for this.
"He's a classy horse and we've had our eye on this race for a while.
"He has the option of going chasing, and he can always do that later in the season, but we thought this was worth looking at."
Elliott's Galway Hurdle entries are completed by Tombstone who, according to the trainer has two ways of running, and Star Maker, who looks unlikely to make the cut.
"Tombstone can either run very well or very bad but he's been a good horse down the years and he'll also go for it," Elliott added.
"If he came back to the form he showed in some of the Graded races last year he'd have a chance but he's becoming a bit hard to predict."
On Star Maker, the trainer said: "He might struggle to get in but, if he does, I could see him running well."
