Home By The Lee, near side, jumps the last with Ashdale Bob© Photo Healy Racing
Home By The Lee put himself firmly in the picture for the Stayers' Hurdle when staying on best to land the Grade 1 Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.
He proved that his 28/1 success in the Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle at Navan last month was no fluke.
The seven-year-old gelding doesn't like to be crowded and was ideally placed in third on the outer by JJ Slevin as the pair kept front-running Flooring Porter in view.
Home By The Lee wasn't off the bridle like he was in Navan and took over racing to the second last. Ashdale Bob was a big danger, though, in the centre between Home By The Lee and Flooring Porter. The latter was the first to crack as Home By The Lee and Ashdale Bob jumped the last virtually in unison.
Home By The Lee does his best work late and he did it again as he was stronger in the closing stages as he took the Grade 1 prize by three lengths at 7/1.
Ashdale Bob ran well in second at 14/1 and was half a length in front of a staying-on Meet And Greet (50/1) who got up for third by a head from Flooring Porter. Bob Olinger the 7/4 favourite, couldn't land a blow on the leaders in fifth.
Trainer Joseph O'Brien said: “I was actually worried how well he was travelling through the race because he never does travel well. I thought he was going to waste too much energy travelling and jumping well but he’s a real good stayer.
“He keeps finding and even when he got to the front he pricked his ears again.
“I was surprised he beat Bob Olinger in Navan but he really was going well. He was discounted in the betting but we hoped he’d be placed and then come here.
"He’s always been a fairly good horse. He was a good novice chaser and then lost his confidence jumping fences and we came back hurdling.
“He’ll probably go straight to Cheltenham now for the Stayers. He likes getting into a nice rhythm and wasn’t beaten a million miles in it last year. He looks a better horse this year.”
Slevin said: "He's very hardy, but his mind is getting better the more racing he gets. He's a cracking little horse.
"When you are out there you might as well try and get it (fresh ground), he likes his own room. He's a little bit funny - at times the last day he got boxed up a bit in Navan and he stops. When he gets a bit of space, he rolls away there.
"He was running in those big handicap chases and he was running really badly because he was getting bunched around a bit and backing out of it.
"Back over hurdles and smaller fields seems to have brought out the best in him."
Paddy Power cut Home By The Lee from 20/1 to 6/1 for the Stayers' Hurdle, a race in which he was sixth in last season.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
