GLEE SIDER

Owner's joy as Home By The Lee wins Stayers' Hurdle on 5th try

- ROBER NYNES

HOME By The Lee struck a win for Cork on St Patrick's Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival yesterday as he landed the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle at odds of 33/1.

Running in the race for the fifth time, the 11-year-old kept to his task gamely up the famous hill to hold off the closing pack under Wexford jockey JJ Slevin and trainer Joseph O'Brien.

Home By The Lee's owner and breeder broke into song as he was interviewed on TV and said he would dine out on the victory for some time in his beloved Cork.

"It's so difficult to win here. I'll dine out on this for a while," owner and breeder Sean O'Driscoll stated.

"We came here with confidence, but the odds were stacked against us in that he's 11 years of age, it was his fifth attempt at the race, I don't think any horse has won it after running in it five times - the moral of the story is that there's always a first time! "They'll be singing, 'Beautiful city, charming and pretty, beautiful city, my Home By The Lee! He's won 12 and been placed in five.