by Tim Nichols

The old man of trainer Graham Motion’s stable will try to continue his recent string of age-defying performances as Better Talk Now contests the $750,000 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (Can-G1) on Sunday at Woodbine.

The nine-year-old Talkin Man gelding enters the 1½-mile turf race fresh off an impressive second-place finish in the Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes (G1) on August 16 at Saratoga Race Course.

Prior to that race, Better Talk Now finished third to Red Rocks (Ire) and Horse of the Year Curlin in the Man o’ War Stakes (G1) on July 12 at Belmont Park.

Better Talk Now established himself as a top-flight turf horse in 2004 with his victory in the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1). Since then, the Bushwood Stables’ gelding has won three Grade 1 races and placed in four others.

Globetrotting multiple Group 1 winner Quijano (Ger) will make his second start in Canada after finishing second in the Germantote Deutschland-Preis (Ger-G1) on July 20 in Dusseldorf. The six-year-old German-bred gelding won the Gran Premio di Milano (Ita-G1) on June 15 in Milan before his race in Germany.

Owned by Stiftung Gestut Fahroff, Quijano has won a Group 1 race in Hong Kong and placed in graded stakes in Dubai and at Woodbine.

Cloudy’s Knight will try to defend his home turf in the Northern Dancer. The reigning Canadian champion grass horse won the Pattison Canadian International Stakes (Can-G1) in 2007 and enters off a seventh-place finish in the Arlington Million Stakes (G1) on August 9 at Arlington Park.

After winning a Grade 1 race on dirt, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. will see if Frost Giant can translate that performance to the grass on Sunday.

Frost Giant captured the Suburban Handicap (G1) on the Belmont Park’s main track on June 28.

After winning two Group 3 races in Ireland, Frost Giant is winless on turf since shipping to the United States in October 2006.

Also entered are Grade 2 winners Seaside Retreat and Champs Elysees (GB).

Seaside Retreat won the Nijinsky Stakes (Can-G2) on the Woodbine turf on August 4 in his previous start while Champ Elysees (GB) won the San Marcos Stakes (G2) on January 19 at Santa Anita Park.

Tim Nichols is a Thoroughbred Times assistant daily news editor

The field, in post-position order, with (sire), jockey, weight, trainer, and morning-line odds:

1. Cloudy's Knight (Lord Avie), James Graham, 121, Frank Kirby, 12-to-1;

2. Quijano [Ger] (Acatenango [Ger]), Andrasch Starke, 124, Peter Schiergen, 3-to-1;

3. Frost Giant (Giant's Causeway), Rudy Rodriguez, 124, Richard Dutrow Jr., 6-to-1;

4. Champs Elysees [GB] (Danehill), Garrett Gomez, 121, Bobby Frankel, 8-to-1;

5. Better Talk Now (Talkin Man), Ramon Dominguez, 121, Graham Motion, 5-to-2;

6. Strike a Deal (Smart Strike), Rajiv Maragh, 117, Alan Goldberg, 12-to-1;

7. Spice Route [GB] (King's Best), James McAleney, 117, Roger Attfield, 15-to-1;

8. Marsh Side (Gone West), Mike Smith, 117, Neil Drysdale, 20-to-1;

9. French Beret (Broad Brush), Eurico Da Silva, 119, Mark Frostad, 12-to-1; and

10. Seaside Retreat (King Cugat), Patrick Husbands, 121, Mark Casse, 10-to-1.