ETOBICOKE, Ontario – During his four-win day last Sunday, Rafael Hernandez made his way to the top of the Woodbine jockey standings, with about a third of the meet remaining. Hernandez has a 97-95 lead in wins over apprentice Pietro Moran, who had led the standings since the meet began in late April. Not far back in third with 88 wins is last year’s leading rider, Sahin Civaci, who won three races on Sunday. With 557 mounts to his credit at the meet, Moran has ridden in over 100 more races than both Hernandez and Civaci. The 20-year-old has his apprentice allowance until the end of the year, and his willingness to ride in nearly every race probably makes him the favorite to win the title. He rides in seven of Friday’s eight races on a card that begins at 4:30 p.m. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. All three ride in the Friday opener, a 1 1/16-mile maiden special for 2-year-olds. Moran gets a leg up from trainer Kevin Attard on Twentytwo Soles, who was scratched from last Sunday’s Cup and Saucer Stakes. He had a troubled trip when sixth in his lone outing July 13 and is bred to run on. Hernandez goes on the debuting Japanese-bred Grand Warrior for Attard, who has good stats with first-timers in routes, as does trainer Mark Casse, who sends out the debuting Silent Tactic with Civaci in tow. The speedy Valley of Kings should go favored in the opener as he stretches out off a clear-cut second with a blend of speed and stamina in his pedigree. Proud Painter could find his calling around two turns off a belated fourth at first asking where he finished just behind Princecrest, who returned to finish second in the restricted Cup and Saucer. The other 1 1/16-mile maiden special on the card, the sixth, for fillies and mares, also features Hernandez, Moran, and Civaci. Moran rides Afleet Flatter for Attard, and she has worked nicely on the Tapeta of late in preparation for her first two-turn start on it. She had been sidelined for 11 months heading into August. Since her return, she has finished fifth and sixth in two one-mile turf events. Hernandez was named by Attard on the debuting Silly Risk, an inexpensive daughter of elite sire Quality Road who has worked encouragingly. Civaci takes over on the Mike DePaulo-trained Orient Beach after she finished an improved but non-threatening fourth on the inner turf Sept. 20. The other possibilities in the sixth include Tap My Desire and the fast-working comebacker Handsintheair. Tap My Desire’s form is much more appealing if you ignore her three turf starts and zero in on her charging second two back behind Mikelle, who subsequently ran second in a first-level allowance. Unplaced Ludicrous exited that same seven-furlong sprint to win a maiden special at 8-1. Princess Jade is a viable candidate for the lower rungs of the exotics in the sixth. The career maiden lacked room early in the stretch before checking in fourth behind Mikelle and Tap My Desire when she last saw action Aug. 23. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.