Found (horse)

Found (foaled 13 March 2012) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by Galileo out of the mare Red Evie she represents the Coolmore Stud organisation and is trained by Aidan O'Brien. In 2014 she won a strong maiden race on her debut and then finished third in the Moyglare Stud Stakes before winning the Prix Marcel Boussac. She was rated the equal-best two-year-old filly to race in Europe in 2014.

Background

Found is a bay filly with a narrow white blaze bred in Ireland by Roncon, Wynatt & Chelston, a group associated with the Coolmore Stud organisation. She was sired by Galileo, who won the Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2001. Galileo is now one of the world's leading stallions and has been champion sire of Great Britain and Ireland five times. His other progeny include Cape Blanco, Frankel, Golden Lilac, Nathaniel, New Approach, Rip Van Winkle and Ruler of the World.^[2] Found is the fourth foal produced by Red Evie, a top-class racemare whose wins included the Lockinge Stakes. Red Evie was a descendant on Time and Chance, a mare who produced the Ascot Gold Cup winner Random Shot.^[3]

Like most of the Coolmore hores, Found was ent into training with Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle. She is owned in partnership by Michael Tabor, Sue Magnier and Derrick Smith.

Racing career

2014: two-year-old season

Found made her racecourse debut in a one mile maiden race at the Curragh Racecourse on 23 August 2014. Ridden by Seamie Heffernan, she started a 14/1 outsider and was regarded as Ballydoyle's second string behind Together Forever, who started 11/10 favourite under her trainer's son Joseph O'Brien. The leading Irish trainers John Oxx, Dermot Weld, Johnny Murtagh and Jim Bolger also had representatives in the fifteen runner field. Found started slowly but moved up through the field to take third place a furlong from the finish. She accelerated in the closing stages to take the lead 100 yards from the finish and won "comfortably" by three quarters of a length from Together Forever. The runner-up went on to win the Group One Fillies' Mile in October.^[4]

Joseph O'Brien took over the ride on Found when the filly was moved up in class and dropped in distance for the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh on 14 September. In a field of ten fillies she started the 7/2 second favourite behind the British-trained Cursory Glance who had won the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot before finishing second to Tiggy Wiggy in the Lowther Stakes. She again started slowly but made progress in the straight despite drifting left and right under pressure. She took third place in the final furlong but was unable to reach the lead and finished third, beaten a neck and half a length by Cursory Glance and the Jim Bolger-trained Lucida.^[5] O'Brien later described her performance as "a lovely run... she was a little bit green... it happened a little bit quick for her".^[6]

Three weeks after her defeat at the Curragh, Found was sent to France for the Group One Prix Marcel Boussac over 1600 metres at Longchamp Racecourse. Ridden by Ryan Moore she was made the 9/4 favourite against eleven opponents. Her main opponents appeared to be the Prix de Cabourg winner Ervedya from France, the Silver Flash Stakes winner Jack Naylor (a filly despite her masculine name) from Ireland and the Prestige Stakes winner Malabar from England, whilst the other runners included Shahah (Prix d'Aumale) and Queen Bee (Prix du Calvados). Found started well but was settled in mid-division as first Ervedya, then Thank You Bye Bye set the pace. Ervedya regained the lead in the straight but Moore produced Found with a strong late run to overtake the French filly 100 metres from the finish before drawing away to win by two and a half lengths. Jack Naylor took third ahead of Malabar and Queen Bee.^{[7] [8]} After the race, O'Brien called the winner "She is a lovely big filly, with a temperament to match, and I would think she will have no trouble getting a mile and a quarter and maybe a mile and a half, as she is by Galileo. Along with that she has plenty of natural pace, certainly enough to be a Guineas filly... She's a very exciting filly"^[9]

Bookmakers responded to her performance by making her the ante-post favourite for both the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks Stakes.^[10]

2015: three-year-old season

Found maintained her position at the head of the market for the 1000 Guineas on 3 May but ten days before the race O'Brien announced that she was not a certain starter in the race after her preparation had been interrupted by illness.^[11] She was withdrawn from the race on 1 May.

Assessment and awards

In the International Classification Found was ranked the equal-best two-year-old filly to race in Europe, level with Tiggy Wiggy and two pounds behind the top colt Belardo.^[12]

Pedigree

• Found is inbred 3 x 4 to the stallion Northern Dancer, meaning that Northern Dancer appears once in the third generation and once in the fourth generation of her pedigree.

References