O'Brien: Found 'Most Genuine' Horse Ever Seen

Trainer Aidan O'Brien said his Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) victress Found is "the most genuine horse I've ever seen," as the filly heads to a showdown with familiar foe Almanzor in the QIPCO Champion Stakes (Eng-I) Oct. 15 at Ascot.

Runner-up to Fascinating Rock in last year's edition of the race, the daughter of Galileo went on to defeat Golden Horn in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) at Keeneland on her final start at age 3. Her 4-year-old season has seen five group I runner-up finishes prior to the Arc, in which she led in stablemates Highland Reel and Order of St George while emphatically halting the string of misses in a thrilling finish Oct. 2 at Chantilly.

O'Brien told England's Press Association the Arc was always Found's main target this season.

"All the other races were on the way to the Arc," he said. "She takes her races so well. We did it last year (running in the Irish Champion Stakes, Arc, and Champion Stakes) and she's been fine since France. It's the way she is. We all knew a long time ago that there's something different about her. She's incredible, really—the most genuine horse I've ever seen.

"She empties the tank every time. The problem is not to let her empty too quick—she goes right to the bottom of herself. It's very unusual."

O'Brien also has entered MBNA Chester Vase (Eng-II) winner and Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-I) runner-up US Army Ranger, most recently second in the KPMG Enterprise Kilternan Stakes (Ire-III) Sept. 10 at Leopardstown.

Found will face off against Prix du Jockey Club (Fr-I, French Derby) victor Almanzor, a son of Wootton Bassett who rallied late to deny the her in last month's Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-I) at Leopardstown.

"He's been in really good form since the Irish Champion Stakes," trainer Jean-Claude Rouget said of the colt, who comes in with four wins in succession. "I'm extremely happy with him. The colt's been based in Deauville for a while now and he did his final piece of work on Monday morning over a mile on the grass with Christophe Soumillon, which really pleased us.

"The other runners in the race don't interest me. I like to concentrate on my own horse being at the top of his game, which is the most important. He's a very laid-back individual, who is a lovely looking horse with a fantastic turn of foot, which should serve us very well."

Among other Champion Stakes entrants, Fascinating Rock has met Found twice since his Champion Stakes victory a year ago, with Found prevailing in the Mooresbridge Stakes (Ire-III) May 2 before Fascinating Rock turned the tables in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-I) May 22.

"He hasn't run for a while, but we think he's ready for the race and if he runs up to his best, it puts him right in the mix," said jockey Pat Smullen. "He's a very good horse and if they get a drop more rain, that would suit him even better."

John Gosden-trained Jack Hobbs finished third in last year's renewal, having previously won the 2015 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Ire-I).