Street Hero prevails in Norfolk

ARCADIA, Calif.-Alex Solis will be the first to admit that his ride on Street Hero in Sunday's $250,000 Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita was not pretty. I think I got stopped about 10 times, he said.

The mission was accomplished, though. Street Hero overcame traffic on the final turn to win the Grade 1 Norfolk by three-quarters of a length over Midshipman in a prep for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile here on Oct. 25.

Street Hero entered the Norfolk as a maiden and emerged from the race as a BC Juvenile contender. The Norfolk was part of the Breeders' Cup's Win and You're In program, assuring Street Hero of an automatic berth, subject to entry fees.

Street Hero ($14.20) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.12. Midshipman, the winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 3, finished a nose in front of Believe in Hope, who was a nose in front of Del Conte in the field of nine. Regal Ransom, the 7-5 favorite, faded to finish eighth in his stakes debut.

Solis kept Street Hero near the front throughout. Street Hero was third on the first turn and fourth on the backstretch before drawing closer to pacesetter Del Conte in early stretch. It was not a clean trip, Solis said. He's going to improve.

Owned and trained by Myung Kwon Cho, Street Hero, by Street Cry, has earned $206,360. Street Hero was third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity and wore blinkers for the first time in the Norfolk.