Found being prepared for Ascot challenge
Aidan O'Brien's filly was second in the race last year and bids to go one better but faces a tough field including Almanzor, Jack Hobbs and Minding
PRIX de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Found is one of 19 possible runners in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Having filled the runner-up spot in five consecutive Group One events, Aidan O'Brien's filly came good in brilliant fashion at Chantilly at the start of the month and could turn out less than a fortnight later on Champions Day.
Found endured a luckless run in last year's Arc before finishing second at Ascot and winning the Breeders' Cup Turf.
Coolmore's UK representative Kevin Buckley said: "She ran in the three races last year, hopefully she'll do it again this year and hopefully go one better (at Ascot)."
O'Brien has also left in King George hero Highland Reel, multiple Group One winner Minding, US Army Ranger and Long Island Sound.
Jean-Claude Rouget's Almanzor got the better of Found in last month's Irish Champion Stakes and the two could renew their rivalry.
Other contenders include last year's winner Fascinating Rock, trained by Dermot Weld, and Jack Hobbs, who has been off the track since suffering a setback in the spring and finished third in the race last year.
Meanwhile Simple Verse bids for a repeat success in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.
Ralph Beckett's filly, who also holds an entry in the Long Distance Cup on the same card, won the race last year and a number of those that finished in behind 12 months remain in the mix.
Runner-up Journey leads the way for John Gosden, with Bocca Baciata (fifth) and this year's Prix de l'Opera winner Speedy Boarding (ninth) possible runners.
Aidan O'Brien could well hold the key to the Group One event with five fillies in contention, headed by Arc winner Found - although she has the option of tackling the Champion Stakes, too.
Dual Classic winner Minding, who also has alternate options at Ascot, Even Song, Seventh Heaven and Pretty Perfect complete the Ballydoyle squad.
California and Furia Cruzada could give extra strings to Gosden's bow, while Bateel, Endless Time, Maleficent Queen, Zhukova, Architecture, Promising Run and Queen's Trust are the others in the hunt in the 12-furlong affair.
It could be a day of success for the fillies and mares as Quiet Reflection and Mecca's Angel top 17 confirmations for the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes.
The Karl Burke-trained Quiet Reflection has won both the Commonwealth Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup this year, while Mecca's Angel bagged a second Nunthorpe for Michael Dods at York in August but finished only third in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Chantilly.
John Gosden's Shalaa is another leading fancy after he recently returned to action with a victory at Ascot.
Henry Candy has the pick of brilliant Prix de la Foret and July Cup hero Limato and Twilight Son, runner-up in the race 12 months ago.
Candy said of Limato: "I think we'll have to hang on as long as we can with him.
"If the ground stays good then he'll run, which means they'll both run, but there is quite a bit of rain forecast on Friday into Saturday and if it turned soft we would have to take him out."
Richard Fahey has four possibles in Don't Touch, Growl, Donjuan Triumphant and Mr Lupton.
The Andre Fabre-trained Jimmy Two Times and Francois Rohaut's Signs Of Blessing could represent France.
Brando, Jack Dexter, Librisa Breeze, Mobsta, The Tin Man and Washington DC complete the list of contenders.
