by Mike Curry

Nine-year-old gelding Better Talk Now is on target to make his 48th career start in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships with an opportunity to add to a stellar career record that includes a victory in the 2004 John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).

The five-time Grade 1 winner breezed six furlongs in 1:14 on Monday on the synthetic Tapeta Footings surface at Fair Hill Training Center in Cecil County, Maryland. Trainer Graham Motion said Better Talk Now is in top condition approaching a record-equaling fifth start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on October 25 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park.

“I just worked him; they actually waited until I got back from Kentucky to work him, and I thought he went very well,” Motion said. “As long as he comes out of it well in the morning, we’ll go ahead and pre-enter him.

“I can’t give you a reason why, but this horse this year has worked better than he used to, and even today we discussed breezing him with another horse. I talked with my assistant Adrian [Rolls] about it, and we decided he was going to do enough on his own. And sure enough, he did. He did plenty.”

If he starts in the Turf, the Talkin Man gelding will join Kona Gold and Perfect Drift as the only horses to make five starts in the Breeders’ Cup. He also will join John’s Call and Bet On Sunshine as the oldest horses to compete in the Breeders’ Cup.

John’s Call finished third in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Turf and Bet On Sunshine finished 13th in the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) after finishing third in both the 1997 and ’00 editions of the Sprint.

Better Talk Now finished second to Red Rocks (Ire) in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Turf, seventh in the 2005 edition, and fourth in the race last year.

Motion said neither he nor owner Bushwood Stables was willing to send Better Talk Now to California unless they felt he was capable of winning. Better Talk Now has not visited the winner’s circle in eight starts since winning the Manhattan Handicap (G1) in June 2007, but he has been very close to some of the top horses in the country this year.

“Like I have said before, he’s the horse of a lifetime,” Motion said. “To have a horse to come back and do this again … but we’re not going to do it just for the sake of it. We’re doing it because we feel like he’s been unlucky this year. If he had won any of these races, which I think with a stroke of luck he could have done, we would definitely be doing it and not trying to make a decision. For that reason and because of how he’s doing, we feel like he deserves another shot.

“Who knows what next year could bring, but right now he’s in great form and we feel like he deserves to take another shot. If he can duplicate any of his races from earlier this year, he’s going to be very competitive, and I have no reason to think he won’t.”

With nine graded stakes victories and $4,216,664 in career earnings, Better Talk Now has provided his connections countless thrills and has come very close to adding to an impressive list of victories this year.

Better Talk Now lost all momentum when he was forced to check in the stretch of the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap (G1) on June 7, but he closed strongly to finish fifth. He finished third behind Red Rocks and reigning Horse of the Year Curlin in the Man o’ War Stakes (G1) on July 12 at Belmont Park and second to Grand Couturier (GB) in the Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes (G1) on August 16 at Saratoga Race Course.

In his most recent start, a seventh-place finish in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes Presented by Vtech (Can-G1) on September 7, Motion said he lost all chance when he clipped heels with a foe.

“I think anyone who looked at the Manhattan would say he was unlucky not to win it,” Motion said. “We finished ahead of Grand Couturier [in the Man o’ War], who is going to be one of the favorites [in the Breeders’ Cup Turf]. We finished behind Curlin, who is one of the greatest horses we’ve had in a long time, and Red Rocks (Ire), who beat us in the Breeders’ Cup fair and square.

“In the Sword Dancer, he was a little unlucky and got carried wide. I’m not saying we would have beaten Grand Couturier, but once again we were right there with one of the horses who is going to be among the favorites.”

Motion also will pre-enter California Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes winner Saucey Evening for both the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). He said he is leaning towards the turf race for Augustin Stable’s More Than Ready filly.

Multiple graded stakes winner Rebellion (GB) will be pre-entered in both the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor