The path to the 2016 Breeders Cup is a road with plenty of ups and downs as talented racehorses vie for a spot in one of 13 championship races. This blog provides a capsule look at three horses who are heating up on the Road to the Breeders Cup World Championships and three horses whose Breeders Cup chances are not quite as strong as they were a week or two ago.For this weeks edition, the two major races were restricted to 3-year-olds and thats where the results took us for each of the names below. I think we can say at least one sophomore emerged as a probable favorite for a race on the Breeders Cup World Championships card, while quite a few other 3-year-olds came up empty.Heating up1. Songbird Originally, I planned to make Songbird an honorable mention. She was already the dominant leader of the 3-year-old filly division and one of the clear favorites for the Longines Breeders Cup Distaff, so she had no room to move up significantly. But ultimately, Songbird is without question the most likely Breeders Cup winner to come out of the racing action last weekend. In the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes, she defeated a couple of highly regarded opponents in Carina Mia and Longines Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia and also recorded a new career-top 122 Equibase Speed Figure, a 10-point jump from her previous career best earned while winning the 2015 14 Hands Winery Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies. Sure, three-time champion Beholder would present Songbird her toughest challenge to date in the Distaff, but this is an absolute superstar at the pinnacle of her game.2. Connect While many of the other elite 3-year-olds are heading in the wrong direction, lightly raced Connect just seems to be finding his best stride. He had won three of his first four starts, including a stakes win at Saratoga Race Course, before a troubled sixth-place finish in the Travers Stakes. But Connect bounced back in a big way on Sept. 24 in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby, outfinishing Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and Travers Stakes third-place finisher Gun Runner and beating both Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and Preakness Stakes victor Exaggerator. By two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Connect seems to be improving as his 3-year-old season progresses, much like his sire did in 2007, and he earned a new career-best 108 Equibase Speed Figure for the Pennsylvania Derby victory. Connect has consistently been fast since his debut and, while hell face a tall task in the Breeders Cup Classic, he is in terrific form.3. Noholdingback Bear Before a third-place finish in August at Saratoga Race Course in the Grade 1 Ketel One Kings Bishop Stakes, Noholdingback Bears best races had come on synthetic surfaces. But after pairing a strong Kings Bishop with a 1-1/4-length win in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob Stakes on Sept. 24, this Put It Back colt looks like a legit threat for the Twinspires.com Breeders Cup Sprint. Three-year-olds historically can compete with older runners in the Sprint -- Runhappy last year and Trinniberg in 2012 won the race at 3 -- and, while there are some talented Sprint contenders, there are no true standouts. With 111 and 113 Equibase Speed Figures in his last two starts, Noholdingback Bear could pack a nice surprise on Breeders Cup Saturday.Honorable MentionTexas Chrome It was a tough call for the third spot between Noholdingback Bear and Texas Chrome, but I felt like Texas Chrome certainly warranted a mention after winning the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby for his third straight victory. Looking back even further, hes actually been strong all year. Texas Chrome has not finished worse than third in seven races this season and has four stakes wins. Hes recorded Equibase Speed Figures between 101 and 106 (the career-top he earned Saturday) in his last five races, so hes also very consistent. He reportedly will target the Breeders Cup Las Vegas Dirt Mile, a race in which he figures to fit well. Sure, Runhappy would be a heavy favorite should he make the Dirt Mile, but he has not yet raced once in 2015. Take Runhappy out of the mix, and the Dirt Mile is wide open.Cooling down1. Exaggerator Its easy to forgive one bad performance, but back-to-back duds indicate to me that Exaggerator has either gone off form or hit a wall this season. One race after he finished 11th, beaten by 33 lengths, in the Travers Stakes, Exaggerator never fired in the Pennsylvania Derby and ran a nonthreatening seventh. Beaten by 12 lengths by Connect on Saturday, this is not the same horse who won the Preakness Stakes in May during a stretch of 10 straight races in which he either won or finished within three lengths of the winner. Theres no doubt Exaggerator is a gifted racehorse. Lets hope trainer Keith Desormeaux can find the key to get him back to his best.2. Cupid Hall of Famer Bob Baffert is as good as any trainer in bringing a 3-year-old back after the Triple Crown trail for a great second half of the season. After Cupid won the Grade 2 Indiana Derby, I had great confidence he was poised for a huge second half. His four-length runaway in the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby reinforced that confidence, but in the Pennsylvania Derby he came up empty when eighth, beaten by more than 14 lengths. It feels like Cupid is just a cut below the best of his division. Hes a very nice racehorse, no doubt, but at this point it would be tough to see him being competitive in the Breeders Cup World Championships when hes struggled against the best of his generation in the 3-year-old division.3. Nyquist Seeing a trend here? The romance is over for this years class of 3-year-olds. Nyquist didnt run a terrible race in the Pennsylvania Derby, but he wasnt the gutsy, powerhouse racehorse who opened his career with eight straight wins, capped by a clear win in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. Hes now lost three straight starts and, even though he hasnt been beaten by more than five lengths in any of his defeats, he doesnt resemble the beast who took Mohaymens lunch money at the top of the Florida Derby stretch. Nyquist reportedly came out of the Pennsylvania Derby in good order, and trainer Doug ONeill and owner Paul Reddam will meet to discuss whats next for the 2015 champion 2-year-old male.For more stories like this check out Americas Best Racing. Terry Sawchuk Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Cheap Adidas Red Wings Jerseys . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. http://www.cheapredwingsjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-alex-delvecchio-jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Authentic . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. Dylan Larkin Jersey . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Mike Daum scored 24 points and had 12 rebounds to lead South Dakota State over Division II Wayne State 80-72 on Wednesday night.Daum was 7 of 12 from the floor and made 9 of 11 free throws. Skyler Flatten added 15 points for South Dakota State (1-2).Jordan Cornelius and Matt Thomas each scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting for Wayne State. Kendall Jacks had nine points, and Vance Janssen added seven points and five assists.Wayne State had a 37-333 halftime lead, and it was tied 50-50 with 10:42 remaining.dddddddddddd The Jackrabbits had a 20-10 run and led 70-60 with 4:22 to play. Chris Howell scored all seven of his points during the stretch.It was South Dakota State coach T.J. Otzelbergers first win with the program. Otzelberger was an assistant coach at Iowa State last season. ' ' '
