HAYLEY O’Connor hasn’t seen her Elizabeth Power-ridden Wyett Earp compete twice and win twice at the Stepping Stones to Success league in Wexford Equestrian but, even though she is imminently due to add to her family of two, she is determined that she will make the final of the Treo Eile-sponsored thoroughbred class on Tuesday, April 23rd.

On Wednesday, Power and the seven-year-old Lawman gelding had a fence down show jumping to complete on 28 penalties, with Rachel Doyle going clear on the eight-year-old Milan gelding Le Grande Pomme (30) to place second. Locally-based Patrick Whelan finished third with his own and Julie Radden’s six-year-old Galileo stallion Galileo Secret, who picked up four penalties on the middle phase for a total of 31.8. Three other combinations in the 18-runner field were on sub 30-penalty scores after dressage, but had problems in one or other of the jumping phases.

It was through Alyssa O’Neill and Iona Daly that O’Connor came in contact with Wyett Earp, who ran unplaced eight times on the flat and twice over hurdles when trained by Tony Mullins. However, as a member of the client relationships and marketing team at Goffs, she could have met him earlier, as she works alongside Joey Cullen, who bred the bay in partnership with John O’Connor.

“I was just looking at a video Alyssa had sent me of her eventing ‘Herbie’, when Joey walked in and heard the name Wyett Earp; he now takes as much interest in the horse’s second career as I do. With a young family, I wasn’t that keen on buying a thoroughbred but, once I tried him, I totally fell in love with him as Alyssa thought I would. Both she and Iona did a great job of getting him going and now Elizabeth is bringing him on a level. The confidence she has given the horse is amazing and she never seems to interfere with him.”