If you are like most sports bettors, you may be drawn to the big horse racing events like the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup because of the pageantry, the tradition and the massive potential payouts, but you probably don't closely follow horse racing from day to day. With the Breeders' Cup just around the corner, though, it's time to start paying attention to who the top horses are out there, and who is going to be ready to run. Here's a look at 10 of the biggest names coming into the richest of racing days. One thing you may notice is the horses that are missing - Invasor was retired with an injury, Rags to Riches is sidelined with a broken bone, Flashy Bull was retired. The show goes on, though, and there is still some very powerful horseflesh headed for New Jersey at the end of October. This isn't a comprehensive list by any means, but it will give a sense of some of the top horses and story lines as the Championship draws near.

2007 Breeders' Cup Contenders

1. Street Sense. The Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner is unquestionably the best three-year-old on the track right now. After a narrow loss in the Preakness he bounced back with impressive performances in the Jim Dandy and Travers at Saratoga. He's training at Churchill Downs right now, and he's looking good. He'll be aimed at the Classic, and looking to become only the third horse to claim the two biggest races in North America in the same year.

2. Lawyer Ron. It took a while for Lawyer Ron to find his form, but he's sure figured it out now. He came into the 2006 Kentucky Derby undefeated and highly regarded, but ended up a disappointing 12th. The rest of his year was similarly disappointing. Sometime between then and now, though, he turned into an absolute beast. He won the Whitney at Saratoga, and then absolutely crushed the field in the Woodward to establish himself firmly at the top of the older horse division. He's headed for the Classic and a showdown with Street Sense.

3. Curlin. This horse was incredible in the Preakness, but has failed to triumph since. He was second best to Rags to Riches in the Belmont, and then a disappointing third in the Haskell on the same Monmouth course as the Classic will be. He's headed to the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sept. 30 to face older competition for the first time, and will earn a spot in the Classic and a much-anticipated rematch with Street Sense with a good performance.

4. Any Given Saturday. A disappointment in the Derby, Any Given Saturday matured and came into his own this summer. He won both the Dwyer and the Haskell to establish himself as the second best three-year-old after Street Sense. He's never seen older competition, and he seemed not to like the classic distance of the Derby, so that creates some questions in the Classic. But he'll likely give it a try along with stablemate Lawyer Ron.

5. Lear's Princess. With Rags to Riches out of the picture, the Distaff is wide open. One horse who could fill the void left by the departure could be Lear's Princess. She beat the Belmont winner in the Gazelle after strong seconds in Grade 1 events. She's a late bloomer, only starting for the first time in late April, but she could peak at the right time and she's the top active three-year-old filly.

6. Shakespeare. This horse is one of those stories that makes horse racing so great. After a disappointing 12th in the 2005 Breeders' Cup Turf, the horse was out of action for 21 months. He returned to dominate an allowance at Saratoga, and then triumphed over an impressive field in the $1 million Woodbine Mile. He's headed to the Mile in fine form.

7. Ginger Punch. This horse has three consecutive graded stakes wins to establish herself as the top older filly on the East Coast. The only problem is that she wasn't nominated for the Breeders' Cup, so her owner would have to ante up $180,000 to get her in the starting gate for the Distaff. That owner is the incredibly rich Frank Stronach, though, so the money won't be an issue if Ginger Punch continues her dominance of the division in the Beldame on Sept. 30.

8. Midnight Lute. The Sprint division is a bit of a mess with no horse really establishing itself as the cream of the crop. The Forego at Saratoga brought together many of the best horses in the division, and it was Midnight Lute, a four-year-old trainee of Bob Baffert who moved from California to the East Coast this year, who came out on top. His unchallenged win puts him at the top of the class heading into the Sprint.

9. Majestic Warrior. It's way too early to know what we have on our hands with two-year-olds, but Majestic Warrior sure was impressive in the Hopeful en-route to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The race was supposed to be a showdown between Maimonides and Ready's Image, but it was Majestic Warrior who stormed down the stretch to win in a runaway. He won by more than two lengths after being 10 1/2 lengths back after half a mile.

10. Irish Smoke. Yet another horse who ran last at Saratoga, reinforcing the relative strength of the East Coast runners over the West Coast this year. This juvenile filly has only been in one stakes race, but she looked like she belonged. She faced a very talented field of fillies, but she rallied strongly and won by 3 1/4 lengths. The Juvenile Fillies is usually very hard race to choose from, but Irish Smoke will certainly merit a look, and likely as the favorite or close to it.