Waterhouse’s stable employee Rachel King, has travelled with the recently purchased 3YO from France and has been delighted with his preparation.

Purchased privately by Waterhouse after going unsold at £425,000 at the inaugural Goff’s London Sale on June 16, Pornichet was last seen finishing third to Karakontie in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) when beaten one and a half lengths.

The colt has won three of seven starts in France for former trainer Nicolas Clement and will be having his first start outside of that country when he lines up in the inaugural Belmont Derby.

King linked up with Pornichet in Chantilly before accompanying him on his flight to New York.

“Considering he’s not travelled before, he has taken it all really well,” she told ANZ Bloodstock.

“For a three-year-old colt, he’s very chilled out and nothing really bothers him.

“He’s adapted very well considering it’s a bit different to the peace and quiet he’s been used to in Chantilly.

“He’s very relaxed in his work and he’ll just switch off for you but as soon as you want him to go faster and you press the button, he responds.

“He’s also very well balanced, which will help him around here I think.”

Pornichet will wear blinkers for the first time and has been working well in them throughout the week.

“He had a little gallop on the grass on the track they’ll be racing on, which will no doubt help but he will run in blinkers for the first time,” King said.

“It’s a very different style of racing he’s going to encounter here and the main reason we’re trying the blinkers is he’ll be much more on the button the whole way around than usual. Hopefully, they will help him along.”

A good account will not only augur well for his forthcoming career in Australia but also for the chances of Waterhouse sending more runners to the United States.

“I know Gai is mega excited about it,” said King. “It’s all been a bit last minute, with only recently purchasing the horse but everyone in Australia seems to be really behind him.

“If he does well, I don’t see any reason why Gai wouldn’t want to try to bring more horses here in the future.”

Pornichet will return to Europe on Monday, before travelling to Australia with the first batch of spring carnival horses.

King is optimistic about his chances of success in his new home country.

She said: “I don’t see any reason why he want have success in Australia. It’s going to be very different for him but he seems so adaptable based on what I’ve seen.

“He’s a tough little horse and I hope they have a lot of fun with him in Australia.”

Jose Ortiz, the 20-year-old who has ridden 438 winners in the last three years, will take the mount on Pornichet from barrier eight.

Another runner with Australian connections is the OTI Racing co-owned Gailo Chop.

OTI’s Terry Henderson is happy with how the horse has settled since arriving in New York and said a good performance could see the three-year-old heading to

Melbourne this spring.

“It’s a long way from Mont-de-Marsan in the deep southwest of France to Belmont, New York, however the noise and activity surrounding his temporary environment has not worried Gailo Chop,” he said.

“Since being in New York, Gailo Chop has done well. He seems relaxed and comfortable.

“Hopefully this trait will assist him in the race on Saturday, where the noise of American racing will be far different from that experienced during his last four wins in France.

“After Belmont, all options are open. Should he perform well, it is possible, should he be given an invitation, he may go to the Cox Plate.

Henderson confirmed jockey Julien Auge would take the ride on Gailo Chop, who, unlike Pornichet, will not be running on the diuretic Lasix, banned on race days in most jurisdictions but used commonly throughout the US.