O'Brien stays in

Aidan O'Brien surprised local workwatchers yesterday by not bringing any of his Breeders' Cup team out on to the track. His raiding party, headed by Galileo, arrived at Belmont on Tuesday and have now cleared quarantine. But the trainer elected not to give any of the horses a work-out on the course – an integral part of the American training regime – as he is confident they are in shape for their tasks tomorrow.

"They all seemed happy to stay in," O'Brien said. "It would have been to our advantage, not theirs, to put them out there."

The trainer believes that the likely strong pace in the Classic will be ideal for Galileo, who lost his unbeaten record to Fantastic Light last time. "We thought we got beaten tactically and it was not the horse's fault. He wants a strongly run race and we think the pace of a US race will suit him."