Fabulous filly Found ready to defend her Breeders’ Cup crown

Having floored Golden Horn in the Breeders’ Cup Turf last year, Found is back to defend her crown at Santa Anita on Saturday.

With a reputation as something of a ‘nearly’ horse in Europe, she smashed that belief when running out a hugely impressive winner of the continent’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Aidan O’Brien saddled the first three home at Chantilly — the highlight of what has been a truly remarkable season for the Ballydoyle handler — and is also responsible for Arc runner-up and King George winner Highland Reel in the Turf.

There is no doubt which of the pair he favours, though, and his admiration for Found has reached new levels of late, despite her defeat in the Champion Stakes to Almanzor.

Last week it appeared Found was going to run in the Classic on dirt, but connections had a late change of heart.

“She is a remarkable filly and without doubt the toughest that I have ever trained,” O’Brien said.

“When you watch her winning the Arc, you can see her strain ever sinew in her body and she has a relentless will to win.

“It was also handy for us that the Ascot race (Champion Stakes) was slowly run and ended up being a sprint up the straight.

“It was not gruelling for her by any means and she came out of it particularly well.

“She’s tactically quick, stays well and is the most genuine mare we’ve ever had.

“She’s a great mare. She doesn’t hold back anything and that is very unusual.”

He went on: “Highland Reel is a very solid horse, he gets a mile and a half well and handles fast ground.

“He’s straightforward and, tactically, he’s a great horse. Every race he runs to a very high mark and you are never sure when he’s going to put in a massive one again.

“He ran a great race in the Arc (second), really.

“They are two exceptional horses and obviously it increases our chances of winning it having the two of them.”

The leading American hope is Flintshire, formerly trained by Andre Fabre and second in two Arcs.

Chad Brown’s six-year-old was, however, surprisingly beaten by Ectot, another horse formerly trained in France, when they last met in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.

Flintshire and Ectot will renew rivalry at Santa Anita, with the latter’s trainer Todd Pletcher optimistic of a bold show.

Pletcher said: “He’s done everything you would hope after the Turf Classic win. He’s come back and trained super.

“It’s a deep race, it’s going to be a new surface for him, and a little bit of a different dynamic, but I think he can show what he did in the Turf Classic.”

Meanwhile O’Brien is hoping for the requisite luck in running when Washington DC goes for glory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Saturday.

The relatively new race has so far been a banker for the home team, despite being run on grass, but O’Brien’s three-year-old son of Zoffany looks just the type to go well.

Third in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, he has improved for the drop to five furlongs, going close at Goodwood, the Curragh and most recently at Chantilly in the Prix de l’Abbaye.

Stepping up a furlong and a half this time, O’Brien is banking on some “magic” from Ryan Moore on the come-from-behind performer.

“He’s a horse we’re looking forward to running as he’s getting better with every run,” said O’Brien.

“He’s very fast. He gets five furlongs well, obviously, and he came home very well in the Abbaye.

“He’ll be an interesting one to watch. He’ll probably end up back a little bit early on and Ryan will have to work his magic to get him through.

“If he gets a run through anything could happen.”

Hugo Palmer has long held the ambition Home Of The Brave would run at the Breeders’ Cup, for obvious, name-related reasons.

By Starspangledbanner, he is bound to have plenty of backers and Palmer thought long and hard choosing between the Mile and this race for the seven-furlong specialist.

The Classic-winning trainer said: “He’s been a star and I’ve wanted to bring him here for a long time

“I thought with a horse called Home Of The Brave, we’ve got to bring him here.

“This is part of a two-year dream to have the horse here at Santa Anita ready to race.

Saturday also sees O’Brien’s pair of Alice Springs and Hit it a Bomb take on Tepin, who is aiming to join an elite club of multiple winners of the Breeders’ Cup Mile after a surprise defeat last time out.

Trained in North America by Mark Casse, the mare was an easy winner of the race 12 months ago and her star has been on the rise ever since.

Adventurous owner Robert Masterman gained plenty of new friends just by even running her at Royal Ascot, but the fact she was able to win the Queen Anne on soft ground marked her down as the best miler in the world.

That made her staying-on defeat to Photo Call in the First Lady even more of a surprise and connections insist jockey Julien Leparoux will not make the same mistake twice.

Limato has been one of the stars of the sprinting division for the past two seasons and his July Cup win and success in the Prix de la Foret over seven furlongs were as good as anything seen all summer.

However, he was fourth in the one-mile Lockinge on his reappearance in May, when some suggested his stamina ran out, but trainer Henry Candy feels there were other factors to blame.

He said: “I think a mile round there would suit him absolutely ideal. I’ve always thought he’d get a mile.

“It was a great shame the Lockinge was run on sticky ground and our horses were out of form at the time.

“Everything was against him on that occasion and he ran really well.

“I would have loved to run him in the Queen Anne but the ground was against us so we went down another route, then he was quite dramatic in both the July Cup and the Foret.

“Obviously Tepin is the one to beat on the book, but I just saw Aidan O’Brien’s mare Alice Springs and she looks absolutely fantastic.

“This is as big an occasion as it gets and we’re all very excited.

“It’s completely different to European racing, but Limato has got a huge amount of speed and is very intelligent.

“Limato is probably the best horse I’ve ever trained and that’s what you need out here.

“I’m very happy with the way he is.”

O’Brien runs Hit It A Bomb, triumphant in the Juvenile Turf 12 months ago but winless this season, and the high-class filly Alice Springs.

“Hit It A Bomb is in good order, he just had a setback in the spring and didn’t get started until late but since then he’s been progressing with every run,” said O’Brien.

“Ascot probably didn’t suit him the last day but he’s good around a bend and the fast ground will suit him well.

“He’s drawn badly (12) so I’d imagine Seamus (Heffernan) will take his time with him but he could come with a run.

“In our part of the world the races tend not to be run to suit him.”

He added: “I’m looking forward to Alice. She’s been progressive and loves the fast ground.

“It’s a good race but with every run she’s getting quicker and better.

“She’s a strong traveller. She goes there very strong so it should be interesting.”