Rip Van Winkle limbers up for Breeders' Cup

By MIKE FARRELL

ARCADIA, California (AP) Trainer Aidan O'Brien had trouble restraining himself after Rip Van Winkle went for an easy gallop on Wednesday in preparation for the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

"I have to be careful talking about him," the Irishman said. "The feeling that he gave me this morning makes you say too much."

Rip Van Winkle is the second favorite behind Zenyatta, the undefeated mare, in the Classic on Saturday, the richest of the 16 Breeders' Cup races contested over two days at Santa Anita.

The low-key and soft-spoken O'Brien was clearly at ease after Rip Van Winkle, one of the top horses in Europe, took his first tour over Santa Anita's synthetic surface. A 3-year-old colt who won a pair of Group 1 races in England this season, Rip Van Winkle has battled foot issues. O'Brien was also concerned about the trip and the transition to bright and sunny Southern California.

Seeing the horse work up a good sweat convinced O'Brien that Rip Van Winkle was coming around.

"I liked to see him have a good sweat after traveling," O'Brien said. "You like to see their systems clear. The journey took a little more out of him than the rest of the horses. He was bushed. I was very worried until this morning, but I was very happy after this morning.

More importantly, there were no issues with the troublesome right hind foot.

"He got a very bad infection in his heels over the winter and it went down into his feet," O'Brien said. "The walls of his feet were left weak. It's amazing that he's raced at all. I've never seen a horse that's been through as much as him and kept going."

The Classic will mark the first time Rip Van Winkle races on a surface other than grass.

O'Brien, based at Ireland's legendary Ballydoyle Stables, has a record of 3-4-11 from 52 Breeders' Cup starters.

Updated November 4, 2009