Better Talk Now (Tr: Graham Motion; ex. rider: Alice Clapham) - Trainer Graham Motion expressed complete satisfaction with Better Talk Now's preparation for Saturday's Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Turf Friday morning after his 9yo gelding galloped 1 3/4m under exercise rider Alice Clapham.

"He's really in good form. It's not like he just came here. He's acting like he's been here for months," Motion said.

Better Talk Now, who captured the 2004 Turf at Lone Star Park, will be making his fifth start in the 1 1/2m turf feature. His trainer admits to having a special bond with the gelding who'll be making his 48th career start Saturday.

"They always tell you you shouldn't, but in reality, when you have a horse that's been around like him and achieved what he's done, you can't help but be attached. You don't like to allow yourself to because you don't want them to break your heart," he said.

"If you're an animal lover, you can't not get attached to them. I do make a conscious effort not to, because they do come and go. You have to make the right decisions. When you make emotional decisions, you don't make good decisions."

Motion was sporting a cut on his left hand, courtesy of Rebellion, whom he'll saddle for the Dirt Mile.

"Rebellion is feeling his oats. He bit my knee and my finger. He bit me on the knee when I was on the pony and my finger when I was holding him for a bath," he said. "I guess he's feeling good, anyway."

Ramon Dominguez will ride Better Talk Now for the fifth straight year.

Conduit (Tr: Sir Michael Stoute) - The 3yo colt Conduit cantered 1m on the turf course Friday morning as he finished his work for Saturday's race.

Trainer Michael Stoute said he was pleased with the way his St. Leger winner is coming into the race.

"He looked fresh and well this morning," Stoute said. "We'll see how well tomorrow."

Ryan Moore, the jockey who guided the colt to victories at Goodwood and Epsom earlier this year, will have the mount again as Conduit goes from Post 9 in the field of 11.

Dancing Forever (Tr: Shug McGaughey; ex. rider: Jennifer Patterson) - Trainer Shug McGaughey tuned up Dancing Forever for a start in the Turf by giving him a 3f blowout Friday morning. McGaughey said he caught the work in 36 2/5.

"He's just so laid back that I try to put him in his game a little bit," the Hall of Fame trainer said. "The only time I haven't done it was his last race because the rain was so bad. It was his worst race."

The blowout further convinced McGaughey that the 5yo son of Rahy will appreciate the firm turf at Santa Anita. The relatively tight turns of the turf course shouldn't be a concern, he said.

"He ran good around a short course at Gulfstream, so that won't really bother him," McGaughey said. "I don't know what he's going to do coming off that hill and onto the dirt, but he'll be following. They've always told me the only horses that have a problem with it are horses on the lead. If they're following, they won't (have trouble)."

Rene Douglas will ride Dancing Forever.

Eagle Mountain (Tr: Mike de Kock) - Eagle Mountain, a 4yo son of Rock of Gibraltar, was out for an easy canter on the turf Friday morning to finish his work for the Turf.

"He's ready to go," said trainer Michael de Kock, who is saddling his first Breeders' Cup starter. "Everything's positive. If you can't be positive about your own horse, who can?"

Eagle Mountain was out nearly a year with a fractured pelvis before winning his comeback race at Newmarket on Oct. 3. De Kock, who has had great success training in South Africa, Dubai and Europe, says that might be a good thing.

"The time off might have been a blessing," the trainer said. "During the time off he's grown into a stronger, more mature horse."

Grand Couturier (Tr: Bob Ribaudo) - For Bobby Ribaudo, a peak performance by his talented 5yo would be the culmination of a training career spanning 35 years. His only previous Breeders' Cup starter was - Grand Couturier. He finished sixth last fall over soft turf at Monmouth Park.

"At this stage of my career it would be nice," Ribaudo said. "You work 35, 37 years and you give up a lot of things that people in the normal lifestyles have, and you still feel pretty good about yourself. But if you topped it off with something like this it makes it all worth it."

Grand Couturier has won seven of 17 career starts air-hopping between Europe and the States early in his career, but having run his last 11 races in North America. His first U.S. race came in the 2006 Sword Dancer at Saratoga, a third-place finish behind Turf contender Better Talk Now. He avenged that defeat by winning the next two editions of that race.

Ribaudo said he wouldn't change places with anybody coming into this race.

"He's been great here," Ribaudo said after the English-bred son of Grand Lodge galloped 2m the wrong way on the main track at Santa Anita. "It's great here. It's so cool in the morning when we go out that he's not affected at all. In the afternoons, everything's fine. We'll just see what happens tomorrow. He couldn't be doing any better."

Ribaudo isn't getting sidetracked by examining the rest of the field.

"Anytime you're in a Grade 1 you know it's going to be tough, whether it's the Breeders' Cup or whatever," Ribaudo said.

Out of Control (Tr: Robert Frankel; ex. rider: Goncalino Almeida) - Out of Control, first or second in nine of his 13 starts on grass, finished up his final preparations for Saturday's 1 1/2m Turf on Friday morning by galloping 1 3/8m on the main track.

Trainer Robert Frankel had left morning stable duties to his longtime assistant, Humberto Ascanio, and the affable veteran reported all was well with the Stud TNT 5yo.

"He's good to go," Ascanio reported.

Out of Control will break from post 10 in the 11-horse lineup and have current Eclipse Award champion rider Garrett Gomez at the controls.

Red Rock Canyon (Tr: Aidan O'Brien) - With the other members of trainer Aidan O'Brien's Breeders' Cup brigade, Red Rock Canyon cantered 1m on the main track Friday morning.

The 4yo son of Rock of Gibraltar has served as the pacesetter for stablemate Duke of Marmalade in six Group 1 races in Europe this year. In the Turf, he will be running with stablemate Soldier of Fortune.

Red Rocks (Tr: Mark Hennig) - Trainer Mark Hennig hasn't had the best of luck with his 10 previous Breeders' Cup starters, but when he took over the training of the 2006 Turf winner he was counting his blessings.

"Getting this horse was a big plus for the barn," said Hennig, who is seeking his first in-the-money finish in the Cup. "It doesn't happen everyday, that's for sure. It's a great opportunity from Mr. (Paul) Reddam that I really appreciate. With the time constraints we've had, I feel we've gotten him as ready as we could."

Things were going as well as could be expected after Red Rocks stunned Curlin in the Man o'War at Belmont Park on July 12. He was three days from his next scheduled start in Saratoga's Sword Dancer when a hock infection of the left hind hoof put Hennig's game plan on hold.

"He was mile-and-a-half fit on Aug. 15, but then he basically spent 30 days on the sidelines doing nothing," said Hennig, who also had to abandon plans for the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in late September. "It seems like he got it back very quick, but the connections and I are going into this race realistically knowing we won't know how fit he actually got. He seems fit, seems like he's doing great, but to create a race in the morning is an entirely different thing."

Consequently, Red Rocks comes into the Turf with only three races this season, two of them wins. He lost to Soldier of Fortune in the Coronation Cup in England six weeks before the Man o' War.

"It was a tough few weeks when we were battling that infection," said Hennig, who sent the 5yo out for a bit longer gallop Friday. "Whenever you see a horse battle that hard himself, it gives you a lot of satisfaction. Knowing you had to turn the screws on him to get him to this point and have him respond and keep smiling and wanting to go to work every day, it would just be fulfilling to feel like you did a good job and did right by the horse."

Soldier of Fortune (Tr: Aidan O'Brien) - The Friday morning exercise for Soldier of Fortune consisted of a trip to the track with five other runners from trainer Aidan O'Brien's barn to canter 1m.

The 4yo son of Gallileo has had a light campaign in 2008. He won the Coronation Cup on June 6 and finished second by a half-length in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on June 29. He returned in October and finished third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

O'Brien said all eight of the horses he brought to Santa Anita Park for the Breeders' Cup are ready to compete.

"They seem to be fine," he said. "They haven't done much, so it's hard to tell. What they've done, you'd imagine that they would do well anyway."

Spring House (Tr: Julio Canani) - Spring House jogged 2m on the main track Friday morning in final preparation for Saturday's 1 1/2m Turf.

Assistant trainer Miguel Delgado, deputizing for trainer Julio Canani, said the 6yo gelded son of Chester House continues to do well physically and he expects him to run well Saturday. "I hope there is a lot of speed in the race," Delgado said. "That will be good for him. The distance will be good for him."

Spring House, owned and co-bred by R.D. Hubbard, won the 1 3/8m Del Mar Handicap on turf Aug. 23, but finished fourth in his most recent start, in Oak Tree's Clement Hirsch Stakes at 1 1/4m. John Velazquez will be in the saddle Saturday.

Winchester (Tr: Dermot Weld) - Friday was a quiet morning for Winchester, who walked the shedrow for trainer Dermot Weld.

The Turf will be first start for the 3yo Theatrical colt since his resounding 7 ¼ length victory in the Secretariat on Aug. 9 at Arlington Park.

Weld said the colt, bred and owned by Mr. and Mrs. Bertram R. Firestone, was set for the race.

"I'm satisfied with him," Weld said. "He shipped over good and he's a very fit horse. That's why he needs very little training."

Weld said temperatures approaching 90 degrees should not affect the Virginia-bred.

"He handled it in Chicago," Weld said. "That's not a worry."