$625,000 for Galileo Weanling at Keeneland

A weanling filly by champion European sire Galileo was the star attraction of the weanling section during the first session of the 2012 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Consigned by Van/Meter Sales, the filly was snapped up by Grant Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock for $625,000 and is from Piste Noire, a sister to Grade II winner Three Valleys from the family of stellar broodmare Hasili, the dam of Grade I winners Banks Hill, Heat Haze, Champs Elysees, Intercontinental and Cacique. Badgers Bloodstock also purchased her dam Piste Noire (in foal to Galileo) for $925,000, the family making huge appeal to Pritchard-Gordon, who was Racing Manager for Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms for 17 years, during which time he managed the racing career of Hasili. "The only time Galileo has ever been to this family, it produced a group winner," Pritchard-Gordon said. "I'm going back to known territory. "She's a lovely, quality filly, and there's not many opportunities to buy Galileos at sale. There's only two fillies at Newmarket, so they are a very rare commodity, and Galileo is as great a sire as we've ever seen." Piste Noire and her daughter were purchased on behalf of Australian breeder Paul Makin, who bred and sold the top lot at the recent 2012 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book One, his Galileo colt from Funsie fetching 2.5 million guineas to the bid of David Redvers Bloodstock.