O’Brien Has Options for Arc Winner Found

O’Brien Has Options for Arc Winner Found: Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien must now make a big decision on where his star filly Found will finish her season and potentially her career on the track after her success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly.

Found made it a 1-2-3 for O’Brien in France as she finished ahead of stablemates Highland Reel and Order of St George, respectively. Ridden by Ryan Moore, her regular partner, the four-year old was driven out from two furlongs from home and quickened up nicely to score by just under two lengths.

Postponed went into the most prestigious race in Europe as the 2-1 favorite after a solid season for trainer Roger Varian, however, the five-year old had to settle for fifth, with 66-1 outsider Siljan’s Saga taking fourth place in one of the surprises of the race.

Found’s victory in the Arc came in her second run in the middle distance contest. She made her debut in the race back in 2015 where she came home ninth in a respectable first attempt. Her bid last year was not helped when she was bumped two furlongs from home which hampered her chance of finishing much closer at Longchamp. A switch to Chantilly appeared to improve her chances as she took well to the French racecourse.

After her Arc bid 12 months ago, Found ran on British Champions Day where she finished second in the Qipco Champion Stakes. She was held up in last place by Moore with two furlongs to go and made great progress in the closing stages of the contest to end up second behind Fascinating Rock. Just weeks later, Found returned for the Breeders Cup at Kenneland where she went one place better. Given she has already raced eight times in 2016, it is unlikely that she will feature in both races once again.

Found currently has entries in the Group One Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares and the Group One Qipco Champion Stakes over the longer distance of 1m2f on British Champions Day at Ascot. The alternative to Champions Day is to travel across the Atlantic once again, and she would most likely run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, the race she won last year when beating the Derby and Eclipse winner Golden Horn.

If Found was to retire at the end of the 2016 season as reported in the racing news section of sports publications, she will go down as one of most consistent fillies O’Brien has ever had in his yard. The four-year old has only once finished worse than third in her 19 career races.

O’Brien’s filly won her first Group One at Longchamp in 2014 when she was successful in the Total Prix Marcel Boussac – Criterium Des Poulichyes as a two-year old. She had high expectations on her shoulders going into her three-year old campaign but she was unable to win a Classic; the best she could do was a second place finish in the Irish 1000 Guineas.