His faith in Rip Van Winkle has been unshakeable all season and Johnny Murtagh is counting on his trusty comrade to deliver in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Saturday evening.

The Ballydoyle ace has stayed loyal to the Sussex Stakes and QEII winner throughout the summer despite his on-going foot problems and believes his partner's guts and determination will reap the ultimate reward under the Californian sunshine.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has said a similar performance to those which Rip Van Winkle produced at Ascot or Goodwood will be good enough to see him home on the Pro-Ride and Murtagh is of the same mind set.

The jockey has spent the week enjoying Los Angeles and after a family trip to Universal Studios on Wednesday, his sights are now firmly set.

He said: "I have always dreamed of winning the Classic. It is the best race and all of the best horses run in it.

"It is the one race I would love to win.

"When you are sitting at home watching it on TV and the Classic comes along you do get that buzz.

"Come Saturday and for Rip to win it would be brilliant. You can see what it means to everyone at Ballydoyle and everyone is getting a buzz out of this."

Rip Van Winkle was noticeably sweaty when working on the track Wednesday morning, but Murtagh is unfazed by that and believes his partner can end the winning run of wonder-mare Zenyatta.

He said: "The lad who rides him out says he is really bouncing and I have always thought the surface would suit him with the way he moves across the ground.

"He stays well and I think that a mile and a quarter around here will be tailor-made for him.

"He is a horse I really like. He has a fantastic cruising gear and a great heart.

"If he can win this I think it will justify all of the thoughts I have had of him.

"He would die for you and is all heart. He has got it all and there is no weakness with him.

"Zenyatta looks very good, but she hasn't run against The Rip yet."

Zenyatta also has yet to run against her males rivals and last year's Ladies' Classic winner will be racing over further than she has ever gone in the biggest field she has experienced.

Her trainer John Shirreffs said of the 13-times winner: "With Zenyatta we realised we had a horse that was very special and she kept developing.

"We felt that if she trained well we would go for the Classic. She is on the brink of making history so why take that away. Let her decide how it goes.

"I really don't know much about European form. I watched Rip Van Winkle's last race and listened to the commentator. That's all I really know except that he is a great horse."

Saeed bin Suroor has the utmost respect for Zenyatta but is keen on the chances of his unexposed Girolamo, who will start along with stablemate and UAE Derby winner Regal Ransom.

Bin Suroor said: "I saw Zenyatta last year before Cocoa Beach and Music Note ran against her and I said it would be hard for them to beat her. Zenyatta is different class.

"I liked Regal Ransom when he was in Dubai. He is solid and tries hard.

"Girolamo is doing well and is in good condition. It is hard to chose between them as they are doing very well, but Girolamo is very good."

Belmont Stakes and Jockey Gold winner Summer Bird represents trainer Tim Ice, who said: "I am very happy with how he is going and I like our post (three).

"I think it is great for racing that Zenyatta is here but I am not scared of her.

"I look at it as there are 12 other horses there that I have to beat, but it is great for racing that she is there."

Henry Cecil's Champion Stakes winner Twice Over will bid to give the multiple champion trainer a first Breeders' Cup Classic win and cap a wonderful season for jockey Tom Queally.

Cecil said: "Having won the Champion Stakes and come back in very good form he is entitled to take his chance.

"He is fourth or fifth favourite in the betting so is entitled to run.

"There is nothing to lose and hopefully everything to gain."

Quality Road was a solid second to Summer Bird in the Jockey Club and represents three-times Breeders' Cup-winning trainer Todd Pletcher.

He said: "We feel like the mile and a quarter is not an issue. He has certainly run races that have shown us he can go the distance."

East Coast Turf star Gio Ponti shipped in from New York on Tuesday and has been working nicely on the artificial surface. Christopher Lorieul, assistant to Gio Ponti's trainer Christophe Clement said: "He travelled well and is in tip-top shape. The distance and the surface here at Santa Anita are why we chose the Classic rather than the turf.

"He has won here before and the mile and a quarter is probably his best distance of all."

The Bob Baffert team are expecting big things from all their runners this weekend including Richard's Kid, but the trainer famous for the glistening white hair is cautious of the European visitors.

He said: "Those European horses are the X-factor. They came in last year and humiliated everyone and they are good horses this year too."