Rip Van Winkle has settled into the Pro-Ride (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

"What happened in the spring we couldn't undo and the only way we could have was not to race this year. The (foot problem) we had with him a week or two ago was the last that we've had with him. I'm amazed really that 'Rip' has been through the season that he has and run in the races. He's run in all top races all the time. Usually when a horse suffers those things, the season does catch up to them. I was obviously a bit worried and when he was asked to travel he was a little bit dejected looking. Yesterday (Wednesday) and again this morning he was very happy on the track."

—conditioner Aidan O'Brien commenting on the hoof issues that have affected RIP VAN WINKLE (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) all year; the multiple Group 1-winning colt is the 7-2 second choice on the Classic morning line

"There's no doubt that this is a very special horse and we haven't come here with a horse of this caliber before. But he's had a lot of issues and he's swum against the tide all season. He's the most natural athlete and you could see that this morning, the movement and athleticism and enthusiasm. George Washington (Ire) was like that, but this one maybe doesn't have the attitude issues that George Washington had."

—O'Brien on Rip Van Winkle, an authoritative winner of the Queen Elizabeth II S. (Eng-G1) and Sussex S. (Eng-G1) in his last two starts

Zenyatta will be facing males for the first time in the Classic (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

"Of course he has done so well on the grass and the question mark is the surface. But he has been able to overcome all year long and we have one more race to go. We have nothing to lose and can only gain by running in the Classic."

—Clement on moving back to the Pro-Ride; Gio Ponti will make his third start on a synthetic track, recording a victory in the Sir Beaufort (G3) and a fast-finishing fifth in the Strub (G2) last winter at Santa Anita

"They have all that stuff that they put up for the Breeders' Cup and I just don't want it to be something new for him. He's been to the paddock before, schooling here in the mornings, but now they have everything set up in there and I just want him to see it before he'll have to see it on raceday. Basically today what it's going to be is just let him get up there, look around, see all the new stuff that they've done -- not that it's going to bother him -- but I don't want to take any chances come raceday."

—trainer Tim Ice on schooling SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone) in the paddock yet again on Thursday; the colt will bring a two-race win streak into the Classic, scoring in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and Travers (G1)

Alfred Nobel will be seeking a prize of his own in the Juvenile (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

"I love Colonel John. He's a really cool horse. He always aims to please. There's not just one horse to beat in this race, there are 12 more. This is a great field in the Classic this year. He's coming up to the race in great shape and Garrett (Gomez) knows him well and knows how to ride him. Now we're hoping for a clean trip and racing luck."

—trainer Eoin Harty, who will saddle COLONEL JOHN (Tiznow) in Saturday's 13-horse field

"It breaks my heart that Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) is not in the race."

—a joking Martin Wygod, the owner/breeder of Ladies' Classic (G1) hopeful LIFE IS SWEET (Storm Cat); the Grade 1 winner has finished behind the Classic morning-line favorite (Zenyatta) in three of her last four starts

"I have a good feeling about her. I think she's back where she was earlier this year. She was tying up at Del Mar and I think you will see the Life is Sweet you saw at Santa Anita last winter and spring (when she won three straight stakes, including the Santa Margarita H. [G1]). Life is Sweet will be flying at the end."

—Wygod

Zensational will be winging it from the start (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

"I'll tell you one thing. I want you to make sure you have a new set of stirrup leathers on that saddle of yours, because when you're water-skiing down the backside trying to hold him, the last thing I need is for one of your leathers to break."

—Hall of Famer Bob Baffert speaking to jockey Victor Espinoza following ZENSATIONAL's (Unbridled's Song) Thursday gallop; the speedster is the 7-5 choice on the Sprint (G1) morning line

"Now the dream would be to take him to Dubai (for the Dubai World Cup [UAE-G1] card). I went to Dubai about 15 years ago and wrote an article for The Blood-Horse, but it was different back then and there wasn't much there. Now I hear it's out of this world. But that's the great thing about this horse, he takes you where you want to go. Every trainer in the world wants to be here for the Breeders' Cup, but it's good to be here with a horse who can win it."

—veteran horseman Reade Baker talking about the joy of training FATAL BULLET (Red Bullet), who will return for this year's Sprint after finishing an excellent second in the 2008 edition; the four-year-old gelding was named Canada's Horse of the Year and champion sprinter last year

Goldikova is the defending champ of the Mile (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

"Probably because he's not used to running a mile run on the dirt, he's probably going to get back a little bit early and then you're just going to hope that he will come home really well. He's a big rhythm horse and when he gets into his rhythm he usually comes home really well."

—O'Brien on the trip he envisions for Mastercraftsman

"I think that was an aberration. I'm not sure it was the synthetic but just him having a bad day, like he had at Gulfstream. He's run two bad races in his life -- one was in the (Hollywood) Gold Cup (G1) and one was in Florida in the Donn (G1). I can't honestly say it was the surface. I think that's a very weird surface at Hollywood that's neither synthetic nor dirt. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't compare to this (Pro-Ride). He's run well on synthetics at Keeneland and here in '08."

—Graham Motion when asked whether BULLSBAY (Tiznow) can a handle a synthetic track after the colt's disappointing 10th in the Hollywood Gold Cup this summer; the Whitney (G1) winner will enter the Dirt Mile off a third behind Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) in the Woodward S. (G1)

Beethoven will seek to play a winning tune in the Juvenile (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

"This will probably be her last race. She's going to be bred next year. I'm going to miss her. In fact, I have mixed emotions when I even look at her, because I know I'm running on borrowed time. She's been a big part of my life for the last three years."

—Sheppard describing his feelings about losing Forever Together to the breeding shed

"She's matured a lot since last year. She has probably put on 100 pounds. We also got a little later start with her this year, but it's turned out well. This will be just her fifth race."

—trainer Bob Holthus discussing the development of PURE CLAN (Pure Prize) ahead of the Filly & Mare Turf

"I've known Garrett since he was this high (holding his hand barely above his knee). He was raised on my farm (Kilkerry Farm). His dad used to gallop horses for me."

—Holthus on his relationship with jockey Garrett Gomez, who has the mount on Pure Clan

Justenuffhumor hopes to be laughing all the way to the Mile winner's circle (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

"They use the quarter pads here which he's run with in New York. We've found he's a little bit better with the blanket going into the gate, but we can't use it here. So, we're using the pads, which he used in New York for his three wins there. I'm not that worried about it, but it is better to let him go in early and get settled, because he gets a little goosey behind and leans on the gate a little bit, and then he settles."

—McLaughlin describing Justenuffhumor's starting gate quirks; the four-year-old had a six-race win streak broken when sixth on soft ground in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) last out

"He's been a pleasant surprise and we're happy to keep it that way for now. This is a big, big race for him Saturday, and I'm not looking past the Breeders' Cup. After the race, if everything is beautiful, we'll be happy to see where we're at with him, but I haven't thought about next year yet. I'm only concerned with the Breeders' Cup right now. He's a simple horse to train now. We have to hold him back in his breezes now. We used to have to ask him. He's just a different horse this fall. He's turned the corner the right way. This horse is in the zone."

—conditioner Richard Dutrow Jr., who has saddled D' FUNNYBONE (D'wildcat) to two straight graded victories; the chestnut colt is the 5-2 second choice on the Juvenile (G1) morning line

Lord Shanakill will face the downhill turf for the first time in the Turf Sprint (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

"She got a little hot yesterday out on the track, but she jogged two times around the wrong way and she was OK this morning. She'll tell us how good she can be, but I think that she's good enough. I think she can win this race."

—Baker on Juvenile Fillies outsider BIOFUEL (Stormin Fever), who won the Mazarine S. (Can-G3) by 4 1/4 lengths on Woodbine's Polytrack in her previous outing; she's listed at 15-1 on the morning line

"He's actually got a very good pedigree on the bottom side. His third dam is (unbeaten champion and Broodmare of the Year) Personal Ensign, but it doesn't necessarily look like a turf pedigree."

—Todd Pletcher on INTERACTIF (Broken Vow), who has reeled off impressive wins in the Bourbon S. (G3) and With Anticipation S. (G3) since switching to turf two starts back; the colt is 4-1 morning-line favorite in the Juvenile Turf (G2)

"She certainly acts like the real deal. Speightstown seems like a horse that's getting all kinds of runners -- sprinters, routers, turf, dirt, synthetics. If she can duplicate that kind of performance and carry her speed over a mile, she's got a chance."

—Pletcher on ROSE CATHERINE (Speightstown), who will make her stakes debut in the Juvenile Fillies Turf after rolling to an 8 3/4-length maiden score in her first turf start last time; Pletcher trained her sire, champion sprinter Speightstown, to Breeders' Cup glory in the 2004 Sprint