Aidan O'Brien surprised the locals yesterday by not bringing any of his strong Breeders' Cup team out onto the track.

His raiding party, headed by dual Derby winner Galileo, arrived at Belmont Park on Tuesday night and have now cleared quarantine.

But the Irish 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 night.

"They didn't go out on the track today, it was our choice," he said. "It depended on how they were and we didn't decide until this morning but they all seemed well and seemed happy enough to stay in.

"They will do a canter tomorrow morning but at this stage it would only have been to our advantage, not theirs, to put them out there."

His team, which also includes crack sprinter Mozart, will race on Lasix, a drug not allowed in European racing which is designed to prevent bleeding and is widely used in the US.

O'Brien, who has landed 19 Group One races in Europe this year, said: "I don't think it causes a dramatic improvement but it isn't a disadvantage - it probably is a disadvantage not to be on it if everyone else is using it." The trainer believes that the likely strong pace in Saturday's Classic will be ideal for Galileo, who lost his unbeaten record in the Irish Champion Stakes on his latest start.

"We thought we got beaten tactically last time and it wasn't the horse's fault," he said. "He wants a strongly-run race and they went a nice bit slower than he wanted.

"He has a very high cruising pace then he grinds them out at the end of it and we think the pace of a US race will suit him.

"But he is only a three-year-old and we have pitched him into top company month after month." Black Minnaloushe will be reunited with Johnny Murtagh, after finding events conspiring against him in his last two starts under Michael Kinane. "Each time Michael came in and said he got there too quickly," O'Brien said.

"We have always thought very highly of him but he is a difficult horse to ride as he needs plenty of cover and needs to come late.

"The Classic is usually a strongly-run race and Johnny should be able to take his time and hopefully produce him late if he is good enough."

Mozart has an apparently unfavourable outside draw in the Sprint but O'Brien said: "He is a very, very serious horse and speed has always been his big thing. There is a lot of speed on the inside and at least now Michael has plenty of options."

The grass course at Belmont is officially firm, which is expected to suit St Leger winner Milan. "The ground got very heavy in the Arc last time and he was drawn very low and he got trapped on the rails," O'Brien said.

"When he got back into it he was 12 to 15 lengths off the leader but he came home really well and he was only beaten two lengths for second.

"The Turf is a very competitive race and there are lots of horses with a chance but I hope ours runs a good race."

Unbeaten Middle Park Stakes winner Johannesburg steps up from six furlongs to an extended one mile for the Juvenile.

But his trainer said: "Last time Michael came in and said seven furlongs wouldn't have been a problem. He has answered every call and won impressively each time."

O'Brien, who also saddles Sophisticat in the Juvenile Fillies', was reluctant to nominate the horse most likely to give him his first Breeders' Cup winner.

"We have a lot with chances and to pick one would be wrong," he said. "We would be over the moon if any of them won."

In light of the recent terrorist attacks in New York, security measures for the meeting will be stringent. Racegoers will be thoroughly searched before being allowed admission.