The Arc heroine Found could have another crack at her French rival Almanzor in Saturday’s QIPCO Champion Stakes, just the sort of mouth-watering prospect to help validate Ascot’s ‘Champions Day’ billing this Saturday.
To date there have been 10 Irish-trained winners in the five-year history of British racing’s flagship end-of-season ‘Champions’ event and once again there is a heavy concentration of entries from this country across the four Group 1 events this weekend.
They include Dermot Weld’s defending Champion Stakes title-holder Fascinating Rock and Aidan O’Brien’s brilliant three-year-old filly Minding who has three Group 1 options but has been installed as second favourite to Ribchester for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile by most bookmakers.
O’Brien has explained running plans for his hugely-powerful team are not likely to be made until the eve of final declarations on Thursday. Yet even with Minding, Seventh Heaven and Order Of St George likely to make the trip to Ascot it is Found who’s still likely to be the focus of most attention.
Set to have the 20th start of a notably durable and consistent career, the daughter of Galileo led home a famous Ballydoyle 1-2-3 in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly just nine days ago and appears set to make a quick return to action.
Found appears next to her Irish and Yorkshire Oaks winning stable companion Seventh Heaven among entries for the Filly & Mare Stakes too but she was immediately installed a 7-2 second-favourite for the Champion behind Almanzor.
The pair clashed in last month’s Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown with Almanzor emerging on top. Jean-Claude Rouget’s star has been held in reserve for this weekend’s feature since then but will have to face an Irish filly coming off the performance of her life and with a proven record of autumn progress.
Found followed an unlucky run in last year’s Arc by finishing runner up to Fascinating Rock at Ascot before memorably beating Golden Horn in the Breeders Cup Turf and a Coolmore spokesman said: “She ran in the three races last year, hopefully she’ll do it again this year and hopefully go one better (at Ascot.)”
Jean-Claude Rouget has said he has no regrets about skipping the Arc with Almanzor and also said he wasn’t surprised Found won the race, expressing the view that a mile and a half suits the O’Brien trained star better.
O’Brien has also left both the Arc runner up Highland Reel and the Derby runner up US Army Ranger in the Champion Stakes but nevertheless bookmakers believe Found represents his best chance of filling in another blank on his British Group 1 CV.
Brave Anna secured a first victory for the trainer in the Cheveley Park Stakes recently. O’Brien has yet to score in the Champions Day Sprint - promoted to top flight status only last year - and the Filly & Mare, promoted in 2013. That leaves O’Brien’s only other Group 1 blanks to be in Royal Ascot’s King Stand and the recently installed Commonwealth Cup.
A final decision on whether or not the Champion Stakes will be run on the new inner course at Ascot isn’t likely to be made until Wednesday but with the ground currently firm in places on that course, Dermot Weld will be anxious that forecast rain for later in the week comes to help Fascinating Rock.
The Curragh trainer, who has said a decision is imminent on whether the dual-Derby winner Harzand races in 2017 or is retired to stud, would also like a little ease in the going for both Zhukova (Filly & Mare) and Forgotten Rules (Long Distance Cup.)
Kevin Prendergast will give Awtaad a final start before the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner retires to stud in the QEII. A total of 15 entries remain in the mile highlight after Adrian Keatley’s Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Jet Setting was supplemented into the race. Godolphin’s Ribchester, winner of the Prix Jacques Le Marois, is favourite for this ahead of Minding and his old rival Galileo Gold.
O’Brien’s Washington DC is the sole Irish hope left in the Sprint but Jessica Harrington still has Bocca Baciata in contention for the Filly & Mare.
