In a huge blow to the championships, the Ballydoyle trainer has pulled Constitution River, Gstaad, Lambourn and Minnie Hauk from their races

Aidan O’Brien has withdrawn four of his superstar horses from the Breeders’ Cup with immediate effect.

The Ballydoyle trainer, one of the biggest supporters of the so-called ‘world’ championships, jointly holds the record, with Bob Bafffert, for the most victories at Breeders’ Cups with 21 victories. He can usually be guaranteed to target the meeting with some of his top performers, including next week when the event is hosted by Keeneland in Kentucky.

He made 17 pre-entries out of a record total of 255, among them Gstaad, one of 12 former champions due to the return to the Breeders’ Cup.

O’Brien has a typically strong team for the two-year-old races with Sun Goddess odds-on for the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf and Great Barrier Reef a 15-8 chance for the Juvenile Turf.

But on Thursday he cut his team of older horses entered in the Mile and Turf, taking out some of the stable’s biggest names in the process.

As a result his two top three-year-old colts Constitution River, winner of the French 2,000 Guineas and French Derby this year, and Gstaad, last year’s Juvenile Turf winner who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas, have been ruled out of the Mile. He could still be represented by True Love and Puerto Rico.

Also off the trip are last year’s Epsom Derby winner Lambourn and the Oaks winner Minnie Hauk, who bounced back to form on Champions Day to land the British Champions Fillies & Mares at Ascot on Saturday, both entered in the Turf. Another filly Diamond Necklace and Benvenuto Cellini are still engaged in the 1m4f race.

The quartet became the latest high profile horses whose flights to Kentucky have been cancelled.

The trainer said: “It’s very simple, the horse ran four days ago at Ascot and he would have to work tomorrow, get on a plane for a cross-Atlantic flight, quarantine and it’s not fair to ask him to do that then ask him to run back within 14 days with a long journey in the middle.”

Also absent will be Ten Bob Tony who will miss the Mile in favour of a race in Dubai next year.