VANCOUVER, British Columbia - It appears to be the year of the apprentice in Canada. At the three major tracks - Woodbine, Fort Erie, and Hastings - the leading riders are apprentices. In the case of Woodbine, the top two riders - Emma Wilson and Corey Fraser - are both apprentices.

Acts Like a King, an 8 1/2-length winner of the Hoover Stakes on Sunday, will likely be pointed toward the Cradle Stakes on Sept. 5, trainer Kris Nemann said. Acts Like a King might start next in the $25,000 Cradle Prep at a mile and 70 yards, a race traditionally run three weeks before the Cradle.

Trying to determine which party - the horse, the jockey, or the trainer - is most responsible for a Thoroughbred's success is racing's equivalent to the chicken-and-egg debate. But when it comes to determining whether races should be canceled, the jockey reigns supreme.

While it is not surprising that the jockey standings are tight nearing the halfway point of the meeting, the rider who is giving defending champ C. J. Woodley a run for this year's title is. B. J. Hernandez, whose son B. J. Jr. has garnered more attention in the last couple of seasons in both Louisiana and Kentucky, is quietly having a solid meeting. He has 33 wins and trails Woodley by only 3 heading into this week's action. Steve Bourque is third with 23 wins, followed by Jason Eads, who is also enjoying a good meeting.

OMAHA, Neb. - Up 'n Blumin, a three-time stakes winner this year, should rule the heavy favorite in Friday's $27,500-added Falls Amiss Handicap for Nebraska-bred fillies and mares at Horsemen's Park. A one-mile race, the Fall Amiss Handicap will have a field of six and is part of Horsemen's Park's four-day Festival of Racing.

Up 'n Blumin will be going for her fifth win of the year. Kelly Von Hemel claimed Up 'n Blumin for $40,000 at Prairie Meadows in May following the Fonner Park meet, where she won both the Orphan Kist and Al Swihart Memorial handicaps.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - One of the most notable horses missing from action here this year is Blonde Executive, Canada's champion sprinter of 2004.

"She needs a few more works before she's back to herself," said trainer Radlie Loney, after watching Blonde Executive gallop over the training track here Wednesday morning. "We're looking at another four weeks or so."

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - Brite Steel is the likely favorite in Friday's $6,000 Mademoiselle Handicap for fillies and mares at Marquis Downs. The Mademoiselle is run at a mile, and while that may be just beyond Brite Steel's best distance, her wins in the six-furlong Matron on June 24 and in a seven-furlong allowance prep July 8 suggest she is in top form.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Adversary will be looking to beat several of the same foes he defeated last time in Friday's first race, a $14,000 claimer for 3-year-olds and upward at six furlongs.

Adversary, a 6-year-old gelding trained by Lise Pruitt, had racing luck on his side last time as four of his six rivals had troubled trips while he received a clean trip from jockey Jerry Pruitt.

Facing Adversary again will be I'm a Gem, Friendly Departure, and Ultimate Ego.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Trainer Ron McAnally is at wit's end with House of Fortune. Last year, she was one of the leading 3-year-old fillies in the country, with victories in the Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks and Fantasy Stakes. This year, however, she is winless in four starts, and has finished in the money just once.

"She's been working well, but she's not running that good," McAnally said Tuesday morning at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Choctaw Nation was all the rage one year ago. Claimed out of a winning debut by trainer Jeff Mullins and owner Bob Bone, he proceeded to rattle off four more victories, including the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.

He has not won a race since.