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Jeremy Plonk, Horse 16y

Respecting your Breeders' Cup elders

You know you're much closer to hip replacement than actually being hip when you think making a "New Kids on the Block" reference actually is new and cool. So before someone cheeses you out like a $9 nacho at the ballpark, let's put aside all the "fresh" and "hawt" discussion about this year's new crop of 3-year-olds in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Everybody (including that whack-job with the lazy eye rooting through the trash can for disposed winning tickets) knows that the Triple Crown runners hold all the glamour points in Thoroughbred racing. Everyone wants to see the matchup of Street Sense, Hard Spun, Curlin and even Any Given Saturday in the championship main event.

Given that no horse older than age 5 has ever won the Classic, it's not like the veteran's committee is running a campaign to keep hope alive. In fact, only six of the 23 previous Classics have been won by horses older than age 4: Black Tie Affair, Arcangues, Cigar, Alphabet Soup, Pleasantly Perfect and Saint Liam.

So let's just concede the Classic to the sophomores -- or 4-year-old Lawyer Ron -- and take homage in the veteran horses that hopefully will be making other championship appearances on Breeders' Cup Day. In an era of diminishing star power, these horses haven't flickered out just yet.

Better Talk Now (age 8)

When he won the 2004 Breeders' Cup Turf at Lone Star Park, everyone was more interested in deriding the boneheaded trips of Powerscourt and Kitten's Joy, while dismissing this longest-shot-on-the-board as a fluke. Well here he still stands, 16 races later, as one of the premier grass horses in America.

A one-hit wonder? Hardly. Better Talk Now has added the Grade 1 United Nations, Man o' War and Manhattan handicaps to his resume since his once-thought-improbable Breeders' Cup Turf win three autumns ago. Last year, he missed by a half-length in the Turf to sophomore European Red Rocks at a still-overlooked 18-to-1 price.

While his status for a fourth Breeders' Cup Turf bid in three weeks remains tenuous (due to illness and a potential detour to the Canadian International), here's hoping Better Talk Now's connections, owner Bushwood Stables and trainer Graham Motion, first do what's best for the horse, and second, that such a decision results in another championship appearance. With a 14-for-36 career record on grass, this horse has long been overlooked as one of the truly special runners of recent years. A second win in the Breeders' Cup Turf would stamp his legacy as indisputably superb.

And, other than Arc de Triomphe winner Dylan Thomas, who should anyone really be worried about in the Turf ranks this year? Given the recent news that 9-year-old Arlington Million champ The Tin Man likely won't compete at Monmouth, the big one would sure be missing something if Better Talk Now did not take his rightful place in the starting gate.

Honey Ryder (age 6)

As was the case with Better Talk Now, Honey Ryder did not exactly announce her presence at the Breeders' Cup as a spring chicken. Last fall, after 26 career starts and at the ripe age of 5, she rallied wide to finish an excellent third in the Filly and Mare Turf, behind the legendary Ouija Board and the ever-honest Film Maker.

Now age 6, Honey Ryder could appear in another Filly and Mare Turf renewal, or potentially take a historical stab at the Turf vs. the boys. Since the advent of the Filly and Mare Turf division in 1999, only one lady has tried to trump the Turf, longshot French raider Bright Sky, who was sixth in 2003.

Honey Ryder has stablemates Wait A While (Filly and Mare Turf) and English Channel (Turf) to worry about in each division, though the three Todd Pletcher trainees all have separate ownership. She would be a viable option in either race, a pure distance specialist who would relish the 1 3/8 miles as well as the 1 1/2 miles of either assignment. In July, she ran a fantastic second despite no pace to chase in the United Nations at Monmouth vs. the boys, splitting America's best older grass males, the aforementioned English Channel and Better Talk Now.

Greg's Gold (age 6)

A potential first-timer at the Breeders' Cup in the Sprint division, Greg's Gold has graduated from the School of Hard Knocks to get to the brink of a title shot. He's one of those horses you just have to root for; unless, of course, your wagering dollars tell you otherwise. Even then, if you get beat and have to tear up a ticket, this is the horse you would want beating you.

His story chronicled on the ESPN2 telecast last week of his inspirational namesake, a young Special Olympian who tragically lost his life in a bicycling accident, as well as his own personal triumphs over a seriously bowed tendon injury, makes him wonderful theater. And, by the way, he can flat-out run. First or second in 16 of 20 career starts, his victories include the Grade 1 Bing Crosby, the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien and a troubled runner-up effort last week in the Grade 1 Ancient Title.

In a year tainted by major drug suspensions and a downright nasty business environment permeating Thoroughred racing, those who root for the good guys need a little Greg's Gold on Breeders' Cup Day.

Jeremy Plonk is the editor of The HorsePlayer Magazine and its Web site, HorsePlayerdaily.com. You can E-mail Jeremy about this topic or any other at plonk@horseplayerdaily.com.

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