John Gosden has talked up the chances of Rip Van Winkle and Twice Over in a "very good" Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Saturday.

The pair could come up against American wonder mare Zenyatta in the showpiece of the 2009 meeting in California.

Aidan O'Brien's Rip Van Winkle is currently trading as favourite in the UK, and Gosden is upbeat about his chances of taking the big prize back to Ballydoyle for the first time.

He said: "He is a hugely talented horse but was put in his place by Sea The Stars in a truly-run race but has proved himself the best miler. He comes out of the QEII and the mile at Ascot is very uphill and rides like a nine-furlong race.

He has a lot of tactical speed and I would think he'd enjoy the surface. If he arrives here in the kind of form he was in Ascot he'll be tough to peg back."

Zenyatta meanwhile is set to be morning-line favourite Stateside if she's confirmed for the Classic rather than the Ladies' Classic. And Twice Over is a dangerous opponent after hitting top form recently to win the Champion Stakes at Newmarket.

Gosden said: "Zenyatta sets a fantastically high standard and I very much like Twice Over. He's a tough, talented horse and comes here in top form. He was freshened for the end of the year and is a strong, strong outsider in a very good Classic."