Northlands: Hollywood Dreams finds nice spot to stretch out in Friday feature

If Hollywood Dreams is ever going to carry his considerable speed around three turns, he should do it when he runs in an allowance race that carries a $40,000 claiming option for 3-year-olds and up at Northlands Park on Friday. The one-mile race, which is restricted to horses that have not won a race at a mile more in 2012, drew six horses, and Hollywood Dreams should be able to control the race right from the start.

Trained by Dean Martiniuk, Hollywood Dreams is a very sharp horse. He is coming off back-to-back wins in Alberta-bred stakes races in the Three and Four-Year-old Sale Stakes on Aug. 11 and the Red Dial Express on Sept. 15. Both races were contested over 6 1/2 furlongs, and each time jockey Scott Williams had Hollywood Dreams involved right from the start.

A 4-year-old son of Ministers Wild Cat, Hollywood Dreams has tried going a middle distance twice in his career, and both times he tired in the stretch. He was two lengths clear at the eighth pole in a 1 1/16-mile, $32,000 optional claimer last year before giving it up late while finishing third. He dueled through honest fractions before fading in the one-mile Three and Four-Year-old Sales Stakes, also last year.

He earned a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure for his front-running win in the Red Dial Express and could be gone if Williams is able ease him through moderate fractions.

City Trooper was highly thought of by his trainer at Hastings, Robert VanOverschot, but after he couldn’t keep up in a couple of stakes he was sent to trainer Tim Rycroft at Northlands. Rycroft didn’t waste any time dropping City Trooper into a more realistic spot, and the 5-year-old New York-bred came from a stalking position to win a one-mile $30,000 claiming race Aug. 3. He followed up his win with another good effort, finishing second behind Commander in the $50,000 Westerner.

Trained by Joan Petrowski, Footprint has tactical speed, and Stephan Heiler should have him sitting fairly close to Hollywood Dreams during the early stages of the race. He finished second to Commander in the $50,000 Spangled Jimmy and the $50,000 Don Fleming before being eased when he bled in the Westerner.

Shanghai Charlie won three races in a row before finishing third in the $50,000 Alberta Breeders going 1 1/16 miles Sept. 15.

Aces Again and First Fire round out the field.