Three apprentices have live mounts on card

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – It could be shaping up as the year of the bug at Woodbine, and three of the hottest local apprentices are well-represented on Friday’s eight-race card.

The 2023 Sovereign Award winner and Eclipse runner-up Sofia Vives leads all riders with 17 wins from 109 mounts. Fraser Aebly ranks ninth in the standings with eight scores from 61 mounts. Pietro Moran doubled up on Thursday and ranks 10th with seven wins from 31 rides, including his victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 Belle Mahone aboard Fashionably Fab.

Vives has five mounts on Friday, including the Robert Tiller-trained Fascination Street in the second, which is for $7,500 maidens. She was aboard when he finished a prominent fifth in his second race off the shelf for $15,000 and may try to put him on the lead after breaking from the rail in the nine-horse field.

Aebly rides longtime maiden It’s Me Mario, and Moran debuts Cheap Speed in the second. Both have a chance in the first race for $15,000 nonwinners of three, in which Aebly retains the mount on Jay Bird and Moran rides Turfway shipper Mister Meseeks. Probable favorite Jay Bird placed in both of his local races after Aebly was able to get the reformed front-runner to relax before making a bid.

Vives and Tiller will team up again in the third with Silent Princess. The 3-year-old wasn’t up to snuff against much tougher in her two juvenile races and is adding blinkers for the big drop to $15,000.

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Vives takes over on longshot Super Headline in the fourth and rides Baytown Elvis in the fifth. She rode Baytwon Elvis to victory against nonwinners-of-two company in September before he tailed off without her. They are being reunited for his return from a six-month layoff.

In the nightcap, Vives retains the mount on the Mark Casse-trained Rock to Fame, who she could take gate to wire in the five-furlong inner-turf dash for $25,000 conditioned claimers. The rapid 3-year-old beat $40,000 maidens and ran second against $40,000 nonwinners-of-two types in his two starts at the meet, both on the Tapeta.

Alberta native Aebly rides Alberta Be Mine in the fourth in her first start for trainer Darren Glennon. Alberta Be Mine hasn’t raced since recording back-to-back fifths in the fall but was a respectable third off a long layoff last June.

Aebly will try to sweep the late pick three on Spite Store in the sixth, Lenny K in the seventh, and He’s Fully Loaded in the eighth.

In the fifth, Moran rides Lucys Child for trainer Phil Gracey, who also sends out Baytown Elvis in the $7,500 conditioned claimer. Lucys Child has worked decently for his first outing since ending up fifth for $5,000 in December and might not need a race.

The two apprentices with one mount each on the card are Austin Adams and Desean Bynoe.

Post time is 1:10 p.m.

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