ALYSSA O’Neill, who used to work for Horse Sport Ireland but is now marketing manager at Equilume, claimed some of her former employer’s money last Saturday at Castle Irvine, Necarne where she topped the combined scores of Karen Dixon and Penny Sangster in the second round of the HSI four-year-old eventing development class.

All phases of the class were staged in front of the Castle where horses had to perform a three minute ‘show’ of walk, trot and canter on both reins, with a halt, and then proceed immediately to the jumping phases where they first tackled show jumping and then cross-country style fences. “My round in its entirety took eight minutes,” said Alyssa who won on DS Candescent who she owns in partnership with Deborah McCann.

This Sligo Candy Boy gelding, who was bred by Liam Lynskey out of the Cruising For Chics mare Largan Lady Cruise, has had four outings in EI90 classes and this week was competing in the HSI-sponsored four-year-old young event horse championship at the Dublin Horse Show having qualified through the Young Eventhorse Series at Tullylish last month.

While she works from 9am to 5pm five days a week, Alyssa’s job is now a hybrid one with three days in the office and two at home. On Tuesday, she had to do a morning’s work before heading up to Dublin with DS Candescent but there’s never any fear of things being left to chance as her righthand woman, her mother Helen, had everything under control. “Mum is always there not only as groom and driver but feeds me as well as the horses.”

This season, Alyssa is also competing the Carrera VDL mare Danos Lola, who has finished fourth in her last two EI110 starts at Punchestown and Castle Irvine, Necare, and has recently sent her three-year-old Lancelot filly, Dermish Coney, away to be broken.