Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form reports, the battle cry all year for European standout Rip Van Winkle has been “feet don’t fail me now.” After his first tour of the Santa Anita main track on Wednesday morning, trainer Aidan O’Brien said he was satisfied with the way Rip Van Winkle, who is scheduled to run in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday, is dealing with the latest problem in his troublesome feet.

     “He’s had issues throughout the year,” the soft-spoken O’Brien said outside the quarantine barn in Santa Anita’s stable area.

     “His off hind,” O’Brien said, referring to his right hind foot, “gave him a little trouble a week ago. He had a very bad infection in his heels over the winter, and it’s been in all his feet. The walls are weak. It’s amazing he’s been able to race at all. We’ve been swimming against the tide all season.”

     Michael Tabor, who owns Rip Van Winkle along with Susan Magnier, said Rip Van Winkle’s feet are “a constant worry.”

       “His feet are a work of art, keeping them together,” Tabor said. “They’re wired up. It really is something. It’s been very difficult to keep this show on the road.”

     Despite the obstacles, Rip Van Winkle has won twice in five starts. His losses were all in races won by Europe’s best horse this year, Sea the Stars. Rip Van Winkle has won his last two starts, the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on July 29 and the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot on Sept. 26. The Classic will mark his first race on anything other than turf. It also will be just his second start in more than three months.

      Rip Van Winkle got out of quarantine on Tuesday and was able to tour the main track’s Pro-Ride surface with the rest of O’Brien’s string on Wednesday morning. He merely jogged – “I didn’t want to do too much,” O’Brien said – but Rip Van Winkle became extremely hot, washing out badly on what was the coolest morning of the week here.

     “I liked that he had a good sweat after traveling,” O’Brien said. “I’d be more worried if he hadn’t done that. I was very worried until this morning, but now I’m very happy.”

     O’Brien alternated between praise for Rip Van Winkle, and the sober analysis that running in the Classic was a great challenge, even for a horse with such immense talent.

     “Rip is a very brilliant horse,” O’Brien said. “He’s the most natural athlete we’ve ever had. He’s had a long, hard season.”

     O’Brien said Rip Van Winkle “won’t do much the next few days” before racing on Saturday. He said it had yet to be determined if the Classic would be his final career start.

CLASSIC PICKS

    Please sends me your selections for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic by way of the comment section on this blog on Friday. Pick just the winner, or your top three, and if you wouldn’t mind giving a short comment of why. Whether it’s because you like the jockey, the name of the horse or because you did some handicaping I’d love to hear from you.

MIDSHIPMAN MIGHT JUST SAIL AWAY IN DIRT MILE

     According to David Grening (DRF), the complexion of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile changed dramatically since pre-entries were announced Oct. 28, with six horses that originally made it into the body of the race opting for other races or electing not to come.

      The most significant offshoot of those defections is that Midshipman, the front-running winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile over this same Santa Anita track, has the look of being the lone speed in this year’s Dirt Mile, which only drew a field of 10 from 21 pre-entrants. Midshipman, owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum’s Godolphin Racing, drew post 3 and will be ridden by Garrett Gomez.

     “Let’s face it, from a pace scenario, this is the right spot for this horse,” said Rick Mettee, the North American-based assistant trainer for Godolphin Racing.

     Midshipman, last year’s 2-year-old champion, has only raced once this year, that being an allowance win going 6 1/2 furlongs at Belmont Park, his first start on dirt. He demonstrated last year an affinity for synthetic surfaces, winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity and the BC Juvenile, the latter from post 10.

     “He’s not the average horse that’s run five times, he’s got a lot going for him,” Mettee said.

     Godolphin also will be represented by Pyro, who became a Grade 1 winner in the Forego last out at Saratoga. He is 0 for 2 on synthetic tracks, including a sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year. Pyro will break from post 7 under John Velazquez.

    “What we have to hope is maybe he was at the end of a long year and maybe he wasn’t quite as good a horse as he is now,” Mettee said. “If this was a one-turn mile at Churchill or Belmont, you’d give this horse a big chance.”

     Mastercraftsman, the Irish-bred colt who has won 7 of 11 starts, drew the rail and was installed as the 6-5 favorite, the strongest morning-line choice in any of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races. A son of Danehill Dancer, Mastercraftsman is coming off a five-length victory in the Diamond Stakes at Dundalk on Oct. 2, his only start over a synthetic surface. John Murtagh rides for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

      Outside of Mastercraftsman, in postposition order, are: Furthest Land, Midshipman, Bullsbay, Neko Bay, Mambo Meister, Pyro, Mr. Sidney, Chocolate Candy, and Ready’s Echo.