Breeders' Cup news: Aidan O'Brien's five-strong squad for the Breeders' Cup are set to arrive in New York today and provide the backbone of an Irish team at Saturday night's extravaganza.

Already in the US are the $2-million Turf favourite, Azamour, and David Wachman's Luas Line, who is being lined up for a challenge at the $1-million Fillies and Mares event.

They will be joined later today by the Ballydoyle hopes, Oratorio (Classic), Ad Valorem (Mile), Ivan Denisovich (Juvenile), Mona Lisa (Fillies and Mares) and Ace (Turf) after those horses have left quarantine.

It means Ireland will be represented in six of the eight races at the Breeders' Cup series but the bookmakers are not expecting too many fireworks for the Irish horses.

Cashmans yesterday started betting on the number of Irish-trained winners at Belmont Park and they go 5 to 4 joint-favourites about a complete blank or just one winner for the Irish visitors. It's 6 to 1 about two winners and 20 to 1 about three.

Those who are very hopeful can get 10,000 to 1 about six winners.

John Oxx has already expressed reservations about the possibility of soft ground for Azamour, and the state of the going will also be of keen interest to Wachman after Luas Line has an important workout at Belmont today.

Luas Line is already a Grade One winner at Belmont in September but didn't have the run of the race when favourite for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland just a couple of weeks ago.

Ultimately she wound up only sixth of seven behind Sweet Talker and Karen's Caper but Wachman is inclined to ignore the significance of that run.

"No one wanted to go on and there was no gallop so she ended up making the running. Even though she doesn't like that she was still only beaten two and a half lengths," the trainer said yesterday.

Luas Line has remained in America since that Keeneland start and will have a piece of work today in order to see if conditions will be suitable enough to allow her run against Ouija Board in the Fillies and Mares.

"We have to see if the ground is alright for her. If it is, she will run in the Fillies and Mares. If it isn't she probably won't. From what I hear it is a bit slow over there at the moment but I'll have my own men look at it," Wachman added.

Significantly, the Fillies and Mares race is planned to be run on the inside turf course at Belmont while both the Mile and the mile-and-a-half Turf will be run on the outer grass track.

The ground at Belmont has not been used for the last six weeks but the weather still continues to provide uncertainty ahead of Saturday.

Over 20 inches of rain have fallen on the course over the last two and a half weeks, a record, and there remains the possibility of further rain as the impact of Hurricane Wilma moves farther up the east coast of the US.

However, the Belmont superintendent John Passero reassured yesterday: "If the forecast holds true we won't have any trouble with the turf courses on Saturday."

The Fillies and Mares favourite, Ouija Board, has also travelled to New York and is reported in good form ahead of her attempt to become a back-to-back Breeders' Cup winner.

"She did a nice piece of work on Saturday and we're very pleased with her," said a spokesman for trainer Ed Dunlop.

"We wouldn't want bottomless ground. She has run on good to soft but not very soft, but I suppose everyone is in the same boat."

With Kieren Fallon committed to Mona Lisa in the race, the top American jockey Jerry Bailey has been booked for the ride on Ouija Board, who won at Lone Star Park in Texas last year.

One horse that won't be inconvenienced by dig in the ground is Shirocco, a stable companion of the Arc hero Hurricane Run, who ran fourth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

The Andre Fabre-trained colt has been backed for the Turf and is now a 10 to 1 shot.

Meanwhile, leading Breeders' Cup Classic contender Rock Hard Ten has recovered from a slight setback and is due to head for Belmont Park tomorrow. A minor bruise to his left front foot prevented him from leaving Santa Anita Park as scheduled on Sunday.

"He's fine," trainer Richard Mandella said said yesterday. "He galloped today and yesterday. His shoes are off and we're going to put them on tomorrow."

However, Roman Ruler will miss the Breeders' Cup Sprint after suffering an injury to his right foot. "We took him out today and he was lame in his right front foot," trainer Bob Baffert said. Roman Ruler was a top-priced 8 to 1 chance with William Hill for the Sprint.

BETTING: (Ladbrokes on the Turf): 11-4 Azamour, 4 Bago, 11-2 Shakespeare, 8 Better Talk Now, 10 English Channel and Shirocco, 12 Alkaased, 14 Bar.