As of Wednesday, only seven horses were listed as probable for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf, to be run at Santa Anita Oct. 25.

They are: Balto Star, Deeliteful Irving, Falbrav, Johar, Storming Home, Sulamani, and The Tin Man. Bright Sky and High Chaparral also were under consideration.

Defending champion High Chaparral's status for the race has not been finalized. He finished third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris on Sunday. Trainer Aidan O'Brien told the European press that a decision will be made closer to the pre-entry deadline Tuesday.

The major preps run last weekend for the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Oct. 25 did little to clarify the rankings of the North American contenders.

Special Ring remains the most well-regarded runner based in the United States, but he was only fourth in Sunday's Grade 2 Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita behind Designed for Luck, Sarafan, and Century City, all BC Mile hopefuls.

Major races at Belmont Park and Keeneland Saturday produced surprise results.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - With victories in the Travers Stakes and Super Derby in his last two starts, Ten Most Wanted is among the hottest horses in the country. He is readying for his first start against older horses, in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 25 at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting, and on Monday at Hollywood Park he began serious final preparations for that race with a sharp, half-mile workout.

Bird Town, winner of the Kentucky Oaks and Acorn and a leading contender for this year's Eclipse Award for 3-year-old filly, has been retired, her connections announced on Monday.

Bird Town, owned by Marylou Whitney and trained by Nick Zito, finished second to Sightseek in last Saturday's Grade 1 Beldame Stakes at Saratoga. Whitney had previously stated that she did not want to run Bird Town in the Breeders' Cup Distaff as a 3-year-old and wants to breed her next year. A stallion has not yet been picked out. Bird Town, who retires sound, will be boarded at Gainesway Farm.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Speculation whether Mineshaft, the top handicap horse in the country, would run in the Breeders' Cup Classic ended on Friday when trainer Neil Howard announced the horse's retirement because of a combination of injuries.

Mineshaft won four Grade 1 races in 2003, including the Jockey Club Gold Cup last Saturday, and is a strong candidate for Horse of the Year.

Mineshaft, the leading contender for Horse of the Year and likely favorite for the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic, has been retired with an ankle injury. The announcement was made by trainer Neil Howard at a 2:00 (EDT) teleconference from Churchill Downs on Friday afternoon.

There is no vanilla in the prospective field for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, which includes punishing six-furlong specialist Shake You Down, powerful late-runner Aldebaran, admirably consistent Beau's Town, and brilliant-but-unseasoned Yankee Gentleman.

Depending how things shake out this weekend, trainer Todd Pletcher may have three bullets to fire at Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies favorite Halfbridled on Oct. 25 at Santa Anita.

Pletcher trains Ashado, Lokoya, and Marylebone, who have combined to win six of eight starts and who will look to enhance their credentials this weekend as the final Breeders' Cup prep races are run.

The strong aversion trainer Murray Johnson had expressed toward running Perfect Drift in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic has softened noticeably since Perfect Drift won Sunday's Hawthorne Gold Cup. So much so, in fact, that Johnson on Wednesday said Perfect Drift is now under serious consideration for the Oct. 25 race at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.

The prospective starting lineup for the Filly and Mare Turf became a little clearer after two of last weekend's Grade 1 stakes, the Flower Bowl and Yellow Ribbon. The field should come into even sharper focus by sundown on Sunday following the conclusion of the Group 1 Prix de l'Opera and Group 1 Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp and the Grade 2 WinStar Galaxy Stakes at Keeneland.