Home By The Lee

Trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien, based at Owning Hill in Co Kilkenny — a yard that has sent out 154 winners already this season — has been open about what makes Home By The Lee tick. It is stamina, pure and simple. The older he gets, the more he seems to lean into the business of grinding rivals into the ground over long distances on testing ground. On wet or muddy ground, he has won 3 of his 4 races — a remarkable 75% record — and O'Brien has spoken about how his recent win at Gowran Park came in tough conditions that suited him perfectly. He has also flagged that the horse's Gowran performance was close to the best he has produced, and he was giving weight to a rival whose form has since been well franked.

The jockey partnership with J J Slevin has been central to his recent success. Slevin has ridden him in 16 races and won 4 of them — 1 win in every 4 rides — and O'Brien has praised the quality of those rides repeatedly. The trust between horse, jockey, and yard is evident.

The one frustration in the record is the Class 1 column: 0 wins from 6 races at the top level. But context matters here. He was brought down when O'Brien felt he had his best chance at Cheltenham, and the trainer still believes he is a genuine top-four-or-five contender for the Stayers' Hurdle. Home By The Lee is bred by Sean O'Driscoll's family, who have stayed with him his entire career — and after 22 races, three wins on the bounce, and a trip to Aintree at the age of 11, it is hard to argue that loyalty has not been rewarded.