THERE is no conformation phase for the Treo Eile thoroughbred class on finals day of the Stepping Stones to Success league at Wexford Equestrian, but it’s hard to see anyone finding fault with the full-brothers, who topped the league standings at the Tomhaggard venue on Tuesday.

The two stallions are the unraced US-bred six-year-old Galileo’s Secret, a tall, rangy chesnut, who won the league with 28.5 points (and was also the highest-placed novice participant), and the two-year-older French-bred bay Galileo Dance (24), a more compact individual, who failed to finish in the first three in five starts for Joseph O’Brien.

While he didn’t light up the racecourse, Galileo Dance has certainly done so in his new career, winning this league in 2021, winning twice and being placed multiple times at EI100 level in 2022 and, in front of a large, interested audience, being crowned winner of the famed Croker Cup in the thoroughbred stallion class at the Dublin Horse Show last August.

Both horses are owned by Co Wexford-based Julie Radden with their rider, Patrick Whelan, sharing ownership in Galileo’s Secret. “Patrick has done the most amazing job with the two stallions,” said Radden. “I think he is going to event them both next weekend, after which the chesnut will be trained on the dummy and both will be available through AI for the remainder of the breeding season.” The Galileo-sired stallions were bred by Canadian businessman Charles Fipke out of the winning Danehill Dancer mare Dance Secretary, who finished third in the Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial on her last start in May 2011.

In Tuesday’s class, Galileo’s Secret (33.8 penalties) and Galileo Dance (35) finished second and third behind the Jane Davis-owned and ridden Tiffany’s Gold (33.5), who was last of 14 in a mile maiden for two-year-olds at Dundalk in November 2020 on his only start for Henry de Bromhead. The French-bred grey Bated Breath gelding was champion working hunter and reserve champion ridden horse at Kilbride Show on Sunday.