Cheltenham: Home By The Lee upsets Stayers' Hurdle in fifth try
If a third time trying something is a charm, what on Earth is the fifth?
On Thursday at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England, the 11-year-old gelding Home By The Lee made his fifth consecutive appearance in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle, and won the three-mile race for the first time in an upset.
Home By The Lee paid $64.20 in American pools, the eighth choice in a field of 10.
Ridden by J.J. Slevin for Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien, Home By The Lee raced prominently throughout, took the lead before the last of 12 hurdles, and won by 1 1/4 lengths over 5-1 Ballyburn.
“He’s all stamina and J.J. gave him a fantastic ride,” O’Brien told the press. “He made all the right moves at every stage.”
Bob Olinger, also an 11-year-old, finished third at 5-1. Bob Olinger won the 2025 Stayers’ Hurdle.
In Thursday’s running, Teahupoo, the 2-1 favorite, finished sixth, beaten seven lengths. Teahupoo raced in traffic at the final hurdle, but faded in the last sixteenth.
Home By The Lee, an Irish-bred by the Montjeu stallion Fame and Glory, has won 12 of 35 starts. O’Brien, who also has a successful flat division, said Home By The Lee is the winningest horse in his stable.
Home By The Lee won the Grade 2 Galroy Hurdle at Gowran Park in Ireland in January in a prep race for the $436,100 Stayers’ Hurdle.
The win did not impress bettors, however, despite Home By The Lee’s experience at Cheltenham. Home By The Lee was sixth in the 2022 Stayers’ Hurdle, fifth in 2023, third in 2024, and unseated Slevin at the sixth hurdle in 2025 when hampered by a fallen horse.
Home By the Lee has been trained by O’Brien throughout his career, which began in May 2019.
Home By The Lee was part of a sweep of the three Grade 1 races at Cheltenham on Thursday by Irish-trained runners.
Heartwood won the $503,250 Ryanair Chase at 2 5/8 miles by an eye-catching 10 lengths, the richest win of his career.
Heartwood, ridden by Darragh O’Keeffe for trainer Henry De Bromhead, was in the first three throughout the race over 17 fences and was clear of six rivals before the last fence.
Heartwood paid $9.80 as the fourth choice. Jonbon, the 7-5 favorite, finished second, two lengths in front of the O’Brien-trained Banbridge, the 5-2 second choice.
Brian Acheson, who owns Bob Olinger and Teahupoo, also owns Heartwood.
An 8-year-old French-bred gelding by Choeur Du Nord, Heartwood was second in the 2025 Ryanair Chase to Fact To File, who was a late scratch from this year’s race. Trainer Willie Mullins sought soft ground for Fact To File but the race was run on a turf rated good after less-than-expected rainfall.
In the day’s first Grade 1, the strongly favored Wodhooh ($3.20) won a mares’ hurdle at 2 9/16 miles by a length over Jade de Grugy, the 9-5 second choice.
Wodhooh, trained by Gordon Elliott for The Sundowners Partnership, closed from third in a field of seven under jockey Jack Kennedy to lead approaching the last of 10 hurdles.
Wodhooh, a 6-year-old French-bred mare by Le Havre, has won 10 of 11 starts in hurdle races. Thursday’s race was her third consecutive win.
The four-day Cheltenham festival concludes on Friday with a seven-race program highlighted by the Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at 3 5/16 miles, the premier rac
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