O'Brien considers running Found in Breeders' Cup Classic

ARCADIA, Calif.- Found, the winner of the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly Racecourse in France earlier this month, will be pre-entered for the BC Turf and BC Classic at Santa Anita, trainer Aidan O’Brien said on Sunday.

Both races will be run on Nov. 5. Pre-entries are due on Monday and will be announced on Wednesday.

In a televised interview from Leopardstown Racecourse in Ireland, O’Brien said a decision on Found’s status will be made later this week. He suggested that this could be Found’s final year of racing before being bred.

A 4-year-old filly by Galileo, Found races for Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, and Michael Tabor, and has won 6 of 20 starts. Aside from the Arc and BC Turf, she won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp in Paris in 2014.

Found has never raced on dirt. O’Brien has not won the BC Classic, but was second with Giant’s Causeway at Churchill Downs in 2000 and Henrythenavigator at Santa Anita in 2008. O’Brien has won the BC Turf a record five times.

Found finished second to Almanzor in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot on Oct. 15. Found’s win in the Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 2 made her a leading contender for the BC Turf, which is run at 1 1/2 miles.

Sunday, Found was listed as low as 12-1 with British and Irish bookmakers for the BC Classic, and was generally listed at 3-1 or 4-1 for the BC Turf. The Classic is led by California Chrome, winner of the Dubai World Cup and Pacific Classic this year.

If Found runs in the BC Classic, O’Brien still has a leading runner for the BC Turf in Highland Reel, who was second in the Arc de Triomphe.