ARCADIA, Calif. - Shining Energy, the winner of the Grade 1 Gamely Breeders' Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park in May, may take on the males in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4, trainer Julio Canani said on Thursday.

Canani said Shining Energy's participation in the Mile depends on how she works over the weekend at Santa Anita. Pre-entry payments are due Monday for Breeders' Cup hopefuls.

"She'll work on Sunday and then we'll decide," Canani said.

So far this year, Artiste Royal's season has been a string of narrow losses in major stakes. The trend can turn positive when Artiste Royal starts in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Carleton Burke Handicap at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting.

CHICAGO - It is the old something-has-got-to-give scenario in the featured fourth race on Saturday at Hawthorne, where a one-mile turf race includes three definite front-end types. Any of them could contend if things went their way, but all of them could burn each other out, setting the table for an off-the-pace horse like Dastardly Deeds.

ELMONT, N.Y. - When he looked at the list of nominations for Saturday's $125,000 Hudson Handicap, trainer Tom Bush thought twice about pointing Gold and Roses to the six-furlong stakes for New York-breds.

With open-company stakes winners Commentator, Friendly Island, The Daddy, and Sharp Humor among the nominees, Bush initially thought, "We should look for another race."

Wildcat Bettie B, a winner of three consecutive graded stakes, returns to Maryland for the first time since she began her streak in May for Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Safely Kept Breeders' Cup at Laurel Park.

The six-furlong Safely Kept drew a field of eight 3-year-old fillies.

Based at Delaware Park with trainer Larry Jones, Wildcat Bettie B went wire to wire in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico on May 19, then came from far off the pace to capture the Grade 1 Prioress at Belmont Park in July and the Grade 3 Victory Ride at Saratoga in August.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - With the entry of Vaca City Flyer, Shaggy Mane will face the toughest race of her life when she makes her stakes debut in the $100,000 William P. Kyne Breeders' Cup Express at Bay Meadows on Saturday.

But will Shaggy Mane's entry make this Vaca City Flyer's toughest northern California challenge since she moved into trainer Art Sherman's barn last December?

ELMONT, N.Y. - Unbeaten Win With a Wink looks to extend her winning streak to four in the $100,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies Saturday at Belmont Park.

Trained by Bill Mott, Win With a Wink, a daughter of Dixieland Band, has gradually stretched out while keeping her record unblemished.

Win With a Wink debuted at Belmont on July 15 and drew off to a 4 1/4-length win at 5 1/2 furlongs despite an awkward start.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - A contentious field of 10 has been entered for Sunday's Grade 1, $2 million Canadian International, the 1 1/2-mile turf race that is the richest on the Woodbine stakes calendar.

Sunday's blockbuster card also will include the Grade 1, $1 million E.P. Taylor, a 1 1/4-mile turf race for fillies and mares, and the Grade 2, $500,000 Nearctic, a six-furlong turf race for 3-year-olds and upward.

But the Canadian International is the piece de resistance, as underlined by its special status at the ceremonial draw for post positions here Thursday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - In another year, Bobby Frankel might have thought twice about sending a filly such as Windy to Keeneland. With a from-the-clouds running style that might have had her flailing against the renowned speed bias on the old dirt track, Windy would have faced a rugged task.

But this is the Polytrack era at Keeneland, and Windy suddenly finds herself on the opposite end of the bias spectrum. "Her style fits in good," Frankel flatly stated when discussing the $300,000 , the Grade 2 race that anchors a 10-race Saturday card at Keeneland.

PHOENIX - Mego and Blueskycat both won big at Turf Paradise Oct. 6, and both were huge prices, Mego at 40-1 and Blueskycat at 20-1. They figure to be much shorter prices among a field of 12 in the filly division of the Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders Association Fall Sales Stakes, one of two stakes for 2-year-olds on Saturday at Turf Paradise. The male division, meanwhile, lured a field of 11 and, again, two big Oct. 6 winners lead the way: Half Famous and Quintons Shocker.