‘NEVER give up, that’s the moral of the story,’ smiled Drimoleague’s Sean O’Driscoll after Home By The Lee raced to glory in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

It was a case of fifth time lucky for Home By The Lee, who caused a shock as the 33-1 outsider saw off the fast-finishing Ballyburn to claim a famous victory that was celebrated across West Cork.

‘He has the heart of a lion, he’s a very sound horse,’ owner O’Driscoll said of his 11-year-old, with JJ Slevin in the saddle.

‘We bred him ourselves and he's a horse of a lifetime. I'd have a great affinity with horses, like my uncle and grandfather had before me, but when you breed one yourself, it's actually deeper than affinity. It's just an incredible feeling – just magical.’

Home By The Lee had finished as high as third at Cheltenham two years ago, but this was the moment O’Driscoll had been dreaming about.

Trainer Joseph O’Brien added: ‘What a horse, he’s never taken a lame step in his life. We came here just hoping for a good run and it was a fantastic ride from JJ.

‘It’s great for Sean O’Driscoll and his family – they bred him and he’s an 11-year-old now. They’ve been with him all the way through thick and thin.

‘He’s tough as nails, it’s a huge team effort from everyone at home and, like I said, he got a great ride from JJ.

‘We’ve raced him more often this year than we normally would. We said we’d just get him running, whereas in the past we’ve kept him very fresh, so maybe that helped him.’

Thrilled with his first Cheltenham winner, O’Driscoll said he always believed in Home By The Lee, and even backed him when he was double his starting price.

‘It's so difficult to win here and I'll be dining out on this for a while,’ he smiled.

‘I actually backed him at 66-1, so I had faith in him and, as I always say, the horse never knows what the odds are.

‘I suspect no horse has ever won it at the fifth time before, but the moral of the story is that there's always a first time. I'm delighted.’

JJ Slevin added: ‘I’ve been with him every step of the way and that’s down to two people, Seán and Rose O’Driscoll. I’ve had good days and bad days, and it’s on the bad days that you need people behind you. He’s been a great horse.’