BREEDERS’ CUP TURF (Grade 1)

THE three-year-old filly Found, finally got her just reward for the busiest of autumn campaigns when she scored her first Grade 1 of the season and took the scalp of the Derby and Arc winner Golden Horn to win the $3 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Ridden by Ryan Moore for trainer Aidan O’Brien, Found rallied from well off the pace to win the mile and a half race in 2m 32.06sec on turf rated good.

Frankie Dettori and Golden Horn appeared to have got the jump on the Galileo filly turning for home but they couldn’t hold off the filly, as Ryan Moore produced her with a strong run on the softer than ideal ground. Big Blue Kitten made a bold move to challenge the top two but only stayed on for third.

Found had a half-length to spare over Golden Horn who fought back all the way to the line. Big Blue Kitten finished another three-quarters of a length back with Slumber close enough in fourth and The Pizza Man fifth.

Found, who raced on Lasix for the first time, had finished second to Golden Horn in the Irish Champion Stakes before an unlucky run in the Arc and a fine second to Fascinating Rock in the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” Aidan O’Brien said. “She’s a very special mare. To run in two Champion Stakes and the Arc, and then to come here and win, is quite remarkable. She’s very special.”

“It’s very special to beat a very good colt who has won everything in Europe this year, so it was a great performance,” Tabor said.

The early tempo in the Turf was set by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Shining Copper, pacemaker for stablemate Big Blue Kitten. Shining Copper and jockey Luis Saez quickly established command and after a mile had a 20-length lead in fractions of 24.56 secs for the opening quarter-mile, 48.38secs for a half-mile, and 1m 12.64secs for six furlongs. Cage Fighter sat in second with Golden Horn third through most of the first mile.

The pack closed on Shining Copper soon after the mile pole as Golden Horn, Found, and The Pizza Man picked him up on the far turn. Golden Horn emerged with the lead of the bend and looked set for victory but Found never let him out of her sights. She gradually wore him down to get the victory.

“She is a very tough filly,” Moore said. “She beat a champion (in Golden Horn), and that is special, too.”

John Gosden, who trains Golden Horn, said he knew there were risks running Golden Horn on softer ground. “But take nothing away from the winner,” he said. “She’s a very good filly, and the best turf horse in America finished third. Our horse ran a terrific race on ground that didn’t suit him.”

Golden Horn’s owner Anthony Oppenheimer reflected: “He has lost nothing in defeat.” The son of Golden Horn now retires to Darley for a fee of £40,000.

Frankie Dettori said: “It was just too loose for him. He ran a great race though. He was labouring from the top of the stretch.”

The win added to a Friday night success on Hit It A Bomb and second placings on Alice Springs and Legatissimo gave Ryan Moore the leading rider of the meeting.