Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien said that Breeders' Cup Classic contender Rip Van Winkle is fine and did not show any indications of his recurring foot problems when he went to the track at Santa Anita early Nov. 4.

"Everything went well," O'Brien said after observing his large Breeders' Cup World Championships contingent on the track for the first time. "Everything is fine. He didn't lose the movement. His foot seems fine. His off-hind was giving him a little bit of trouble couple of weeks back, but it has been fine the last week."

O'Brien said Rip Van Winkle's foot problems this year started last winter when the colt developed an infection in his heels.

"He got a very bad infection in his heels over the winter and the infection got into all his feet," the trainer said. "The layers were coming off as the as the whole year went through… it's amazing that he has raced at all. I have never seen a horse go through what he has gone through and he kept doing it

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