Street Cry awesome in Foster; Congaree sixth

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Street Cry raced to an incredibly powerful victory Saturday in the $833,250 at Churchill Downs, serving notice that he might be the horse to beat when the Breeders' Cup Classic is run later this year.

Street Cry, making his first start since he won the $6 million Dubai World Cup for his owners, Godolphin Racing, on March 23, drew off to win the Grade 1 Foster by 6 1/2 lengths over Dollar Bill, who finished another 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Tenpins in a field of eight older horses.

Before a crowd of 12,791, and with trainer Saeed bin Suroor in from Dubai to saddle him, Street Cry settled into a perfect stalking position under Jerry Bailey. Into the far turn of the 1 1/8-mile race, Congaree moved to take command from front-running Tenpins and Proper Man, but Street Cry was soon alongside, ready to pounce.

"I tried not to get there too soon," said Bailey. "But after he got there, he was all business today."

Street Cry, a homebred 4-year-old by the Mr. Prospector sire Machiavellian, returned $6.20 after finishing in 1:47.84. The clocking was the second-fastest in the 21-year history of the Foster, topped only by Victory Gallop in 1999.

Congaree, the 6-5 favorite under Pat Day, faded to finish sixth, beaten 11 1/2 lengths. Congaree was the third losing favorite in the last five runnings of the Foster for trainer Bob Baffert, who also was defeated with Silver Charm in 1998 and Captain Steve last year.

Conversely, the victory reversed a string of bad luck at Churchill for Godolphin, where last month the stable endured the heartbreak of losing its champion filly, Tempera, to a fatal illness. The stable's runners in the Kentucky Oaks (Imperial Gesture) and Kentucky Derby (Essence of Dubai) also ran poorly.

Godolphin officials said the BC Classic, which will be run Oct. 26 at Arlington Park, will be their primary goal this year and that Street Cry will be based primarily at Belmont Park until then. The Aug. 25 Pacific Classic at Del Mar is a potential race in the interim, said Simon Crisford, Godolphin's racing manager.

"I don't know where they're going with him," joked Bailey, who also won two other stakes Saturday, "but I sure hope they ask me to go."

The Foster victory was worth $516,615, nudging Street Cry's earnings to more than $5 million. From 11 starts, the Irish-bred Street Cry has five wins, five seconds, and one third.

The 4-6 exacta paid $36 and the 4-6-2 trifecta paid $215.40.

The Foster was the third of four stakes Saturday at Churchill. All were packaged in a pick four, which returned $494.80 for a $1 wager.