HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jose Pinchin has been at the forefront of the news locally throughout the summer because of his undefeated and untested 2-year-old Three Rules, who will be heavily favored to complete a sweep of the Florida Sire Stakes series in the $500,000 In Reality here on Oct. 1.

But for all his accomplishments, Three Rules is not even the hottest horse under the Pinchin shed right now. That honor belongs to Defying Gravity, a 5-year-old mare who on Sunday registered her sixth consecutive victory, rallying to win an optional-claiming race for statebreds.

CYPRESS, Calif. – A busy 2-year-old campaign forced Semper Fortis out of the Triple Crown preps this past winter and spring. The colt had won two of his first seven starts, but the campaign took a toll.

“He was just body sore,” trainer Doug O’Neill recalled last weekend.

A gap of more than six months between races seemed to work. Semper Fortis finished a game second in his comeback in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 26, leading to a scheduled start in Saturday’s $200,000 Los Alamitos Derby.

The $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita at 1 1/4 miles is not part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, which offers fees-paid berths to the winners of selected major stakes to the BC Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.

But for the partnership that owns Metaboss, the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship on Oct. 2 will have similar implications. If Metaboss scores a convincing win, they will plow race earnings into entry and starting fees for the BC Turf.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Most horse trainers, including Dale Romans, don’t like getting too far ahead of themselves. But after Not This Time confirmed his suspicions about the colt’s potential with an 8 3/4-length romp Saturday in the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, Romans couldn’t help himself.

“The key is going to be getting him to the Kentucky Derby at a peak,” Romans said. “Everything will be done with the Derby in mind.”

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Shakhimat, who won the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland in the spring, will miss the rest of the 2016 season, trainer Roger Attfield said. Shakhimat has not raced since finishing fifth in the July 3 Queen’s Plate.

Following the Queen’s Plate, Shakhimat had minor throat surgery for an entrapped epiglottis, but he also has been dealing with bone bruising, Attfield said.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After running third in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 27, Noholdingback Bear is being pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.

To get him to Santa Anita, trainer Michael De Paulo and owner Danny Dion are considering two options for Noholdingback Bear’s next start: the Grade 3, $300,000 Gallant Bob Stakes for 3-year-olds at Parx on Saturday or the Grade 1, $350,000 Vosburgh Invitational for 3-year-olds and up at Belmont Park on Oct. 1. Both races will be run over six furlongs on dirt.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Caren completed Canada’s Triple Tiara series with back-to-back wins in the Bison City and Wonder Where stakes and will be looking to win her third straight race in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Ontario Colleen Stakes over a mile on turf for 3-year-old fillies, trainer Michael De Paulo said.

De Paulo said Caren got a little break after going gate to wire in the Wonder Where, run over 1 1/4 miles on grass Aug. 7. She resumed breezing Aug. 27 in preparation for the Ontario Colleen and worked five furlongs in a bullet 59.40 seconds on Tapeta here Saturday.

CYPRESS, Calif. - Bitzka went from a maiden claimer to a stakes winner in consecutive starts with a victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Barretts Debutante at Los Alamitos.

She may be bound for a graded stakes in a matter of weeks, trainer John Sadler said on Sunday.

The $300,000 Chandelier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 1 will be a point of discussion among Sadler and owners Pete and Kostra Hronis, Sadler said.

“It’s not out of the question,” he said. “I’m not promising anything.”

CYPRESS, Calif. - Wild At Heart ran so well in an optional claimer at Los Alamitos on Saturday that she is now rated as a candidate for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.

The lightly raced Wild At Heart ($7.20) had an ideal trip under jockey Mike Smith to finish 1 1/4 lengths in front of 2-5 favorite Perfect Pic, who broke slowly in the six-furlong race.

Unbeaten champion Songbird makes even her workouts look easy.

For the third consecutive time this month, Songbird worked so effortlessly at Santa Anita on Sunday that clockers described her exercise as “breezing,” a rarely used description in Southern California. Most workouts are rated “handily,” to reflect a more significant effort.

Songbird breezed a half-mile in 47.60 seconds, her final major exercise before her 11th start in Saturday’s $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania. Exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez rode Songbird in the workout.