Found connections hope for clear passage Found will need a significantly smoother run than at Longchamp a fortnight ago if she is to become the first filly or mare in almost a decade to land the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot today. Aidan O'Brien's three-year-old looked every inch a Classic contender as a two-year-old, but her season has so far been a story of several near-misses and bad luck. Narrowly beaten in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes, Found deservedly got off the mark in the Royal Whip in August before finding only Golden Horn too strong in a controversial climax to the Irish Champion Stakes. Connections took enough encouragement to have another go at John Gosden's superstar in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but while Golden Horn confirmed himself the best of his generation, Found suffered major interference and passed the line seemingly full of running in ninth place. Dropped back to a mile and a quarter on her return to Ascot, she finds another top-class Gosden inmate lying in wait in the form of Jack Hobbs as she becomes the first member of the distaff division to taste Champion Stakes glory since Pride in 2006. O'Brien said: "She ran a very good race the last day and just didn't get much luck in the race. "She seems to handle most types of ground." Kevin Buckley represents owner-breeders Coolmore and is keeping his fingers crossed Found gets the rub of the green. He said: "Found had quite an easy race in Arc. "She was racing on the inside against the rails and when she was about to make her move she got quite a hefty bump. Ryan (Moore) was fairly tender on her after that. "She's a versatile filly, ground-wise. "When she won the Royal Whip at the Curragh that was on soft ground and, equally, she's won on good to firm, so versatility is the key with her."
