Street Sense's Billal An Impressive Allowance Winner at Churchill

8th-Churchill Downs, $134,000, Alw (NW2X), Opt. Clm ($125,000), 9-18, 3yo, 6f, 1:08.98, ft, 3/4 length.
BILLAL (c, 3, Street Sense–Bambalina, by Bernardini), third in a June 8 Saratoga allowance that produced three next-out winners, filled the same spot, but was well-beaten behind future GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes hero Domestic Product (Practical Joke) in the July 6 GIII Dwyer Stakes. Most recently runner-up in Spa allowance company Aug. 4, Billal was nominated to this Saturday's GII Gallant Bob Stakes, but connections opted for this softer test and he was sent off as the 9-5 pick to snap a four-race skid. One of the first away, the $725,000 Keeneland September yearling was content to drift back through the field to sit in the second flight of horses into the turn. Traveling sweetly on the back of the leaders nearing the stretch, he muscled his way into daylight about three-sixteenths from home, opened a clear advantage and held off 25-1 Banjo Chris (Constitution) by three-parts of a length. Save the Trees (Preservationist), fourth in the Dwyer and an Ellis allowance winner Aug. 19, rounded out the triple. A daughter of Eclipse Award winner Perfect Sting (Red Ransom)–dam of GSW Smart Sting (Smart Strike)–Bambalina was purchased by Repole Stable for $270,000 with this colt in utero at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale and visited Repole's Uncle Mo on three straight occasions. The mare produced a colt in 2022, while her yearling colt just sold to Harold Lerner for $160,000 at KEESEP. She delivered yet another colt this term and was sent to Curlin for her 2025 produce. The cross of Street Sense over Bernardini is responsible for 32 winners from 41 starters, including the fifth stakes winner bred on the cross, GIII Pocahontas Stakes heroine La Cara. Sales history: $725,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSP, 11-3-1-4, $298,793. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Kaleem Shah Inc; B-Repole Stables (KY); T-William I Mott. —ALC

#7 Billal scores in R8 at @churchilldowns for trainer Bill Mott with @tyler_gaff aboard! 💪

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— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 18, 2024