Home By The Lee gives O'Driscoll his best shot in racing's generation game
RAVENOUS FOR MORE: Home By The Lee and JJ Slevin win for trainer Joseph O'Brien at Leopardstown in December. Pic: Healy Racing.
When Sean O’Driscoll describes his love for National Hunt racing the power and importance of family generations, both horse and human, are at the forefront of his thoughts.
O’Driscoll and his wife, Rose are the (very) proud owners of Home By The Lee, the second favourite for the Stayers Hurdle this week and he is gamely trying to keep is excitement in check, hoping that at the fourth time of asking, glory may at last be knocking at the door. Now ten years old, Home By The Lee has developed into a likeable and charismatic horse, a typical ‘old dog for the hard road’ and Thursday’s road is sure to be both steep and winding.
Sean and Rose O’Driscoll both grew up in West Cork, he in Drimoleague, she in Kilmichael and like most of those hailing from all parts west of Ballincollig, land and horses played a major part in their formation.
“My mother was from a farming family and two of my uncles constantly talked about horses and National Hunt racing,” recalls O’Driscoll. “Rose’s parents were very interested as well. That’s when our common interest kicked in.”
That common interest deepened in the mid-90s. Sean’s late brother, Ciaran, and couple of friends were putting a syndicate together and the O’Driscoll’s joined in. A horse was bought and was named Mondeo Rose.
“One of the lads owned the Ford franchise in Bandon, so that’s where Mondeo came from, and the ‘Rose’ part is easy enough to work out! “says O’Driscoll. “Our chosen trainer was Aidan O’Brien still up on ‘The Hill’ at Owning in Kilkenny back then and that started a long association that continues today with his son, Joseph who trains for us now.”
Ciaran was very friendly with Aidan’s father-in-law, Joe Crowley, whose daughter Frances was now also beginning to train on the same Hill. They were asked if they could send her a horse to help get her up and running. They did, a mare named Going for Home, which was one of the first horses Frances Crowley trained. Going For Home was a horse of moderate ability, who was unfortunately injured in her only rules appearance at Down Royal, but fate cast her in the role of pivotal broodmare when she was sent to the breeding sheds. Her fourth foal, by Fame and Glory, was born in 2015, named Home By The Lee and sent to be trained, where else but on ‘The Hill’ by Joe Crowley’s grandson, Joseph O’Brien.
Sean O’Driscoll’s day job back then as Chairman and CEO of Glen Dimplex, one of Ireland’s largest industrial enterprises was ravenous for his time. But he always made sure to carve out enough space for family and his ever-increasing passion for horses.
“The first really good horse we had on our own was called Black Harry, trained by Willie Mullins,” says O’Driscoll. “He won his maiden at Fairyhouse in January by a distance, and then went for the Albert Bartlett, Ruby was on him. From two out it was a titanic battle between Black Harry and Wichita Lineman who was ridden by Tony McCoy. Two great horses, the two best jockeys in the world, they were going way ahead of the rest of the field and then Black Harry clips the top of the final hurdle and comes down.”
Their very first runner at the Festival had gone from possible triumph to absolute disaster in a stride. Were they able to treat those two imposters just the same?
“That was our first runner at Cheltenham and believe me, it gives you a cautionary lesson as to what can happen,” he continues. “Black Harry taught me that when you go to Cheltenham with a real chance that you can come home with your tail between your legs. Our horse was alive, but our dreams weren’t anymore.”
Eighteen years later and the O’Driscoll’s haven’t managed to scratch that Cheltenham itch, but rarely will they have a sounder chance than now to live those dreams again.
They decided early to send Home By The Lee to Joseph because of their generational association with the Crowleys and because he had known him when he looked even younger and more angelic than he does today.
“I remember being in Ballydoyle and Aidan had a Saab at the time. The window of the car was open, and I remember Joseph jumping through it, straight into the car. That was my first memory of him, he was about 11 at the time.”
Like young Joseph, their younger horse was developing into a bit of a thrill seeker too. He badly needed to be educated in the manners of a racehorse and was sent to board at Liam and Rose Casey’s prep school near New Inn in Tipperary. The word ‘mischievous’ first began to appear on his term report cards and it remains there prominently today.
“Liam rang me when he was in the process of breaking Home By The Lee and says, ‘look Sean, I’m at this three weeks and he’ll either injure me or injure himself.’ So, I told him that neither of those things was going to happen and we decided to send him to the Hill and let Joseph’s team have a try," O'Driscoll recounts.
"They later told me that he was probably one of the most difficult horses they ever had to break in. One day he got loose on them, and they found him about a mile down the road. Horses like that, with a mind of their own can go one of two ways; turn nasty or turn into a real character and thankfully this guy has turned into a real character. He’s quirky, but there’s no badness or nastiness in him.”
The ‘real character’ is older and wiser now, but he still likes to make his own decisions, and happily he decided to win both his starts this season. He arguably put in his finest performance when he won the Grade One Savills hurdle at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival when he had looked more likely to finish last than first at the home turn before sprinting home to win easily.
Like those other great stayers such as Ingles Drever, Big Buck and Paisley Park he tends to hit a flat spot during his races and O’Driscoll has learned not to panic – knowing that the further he travels the better he gets.
“I remember Ruby saying to me one time that he doesn’t think there is a race in the calendar long enough for him. I think if there was such a thing as a four-mile hurdle race he’d have a 100% record. He’s a very sound horse physically, but he has a mind of his own. He’s just turned ten, but he’s a young ten, foaled in May, and this is the first year that physically and mentally he has put it all together. He’s different horse this year than we had previously.”
O’Driscoll credits his horse’s groom, Davina Boyle and his work rider, Chloe Gunn for the transformation.
“Davina is always talking to him, she’s like a horse whisperer with him, telling him what a good boy he is, telling him that’s he’s going to behave himself today. Her husband, Damian, who works in Joesph’s yard as well, told me once that she loves that fella more than she loves him. Chloe has been riding his work for the last six months and Joseph is convinced she has made a huge difference.”
Although fearful of the reigning champion Teahupoo and the emergence of some up-and-coming champion stayer, Sean O’Driscoll insists that his sleep has remained undisturbed as ‘D-Day’ approaches.
“Joseph tells me that he is going there with his best chance yet, and he’s been sixth, fifth and third in the race already, unlucky on each occasion, so fingers crossed. I know we have our horse with a genius of a trainer, who has prepared him perfectly. All the boxes are ticked, nothing has been left to chance, he’ll be travelled safely, well wrapped up. All the things’ humans can do have been well looked after. There is more hype about him this year. Nobody in Cork asks me how I am anymore, it’s always ‘how’s the horse? I’ve a Grandson, Louis, he’s only four and loves going racing. Hopefully in fifty years’ time he’ll be asked about the horse too.’
There he goes again, finishing as he started, speaking of the power and importance of family generations. Horse and human.
The O’Driscolls’ have another chance of success today. They own a share in Galileo Dame which runs in the Mares' Novice Hurdle, the first race on the card. Sean discusses her prospects:
"She was bought as a stayer for the Flat and she did really well, even started favourite for the Cheshire Oaks. She’s been a bit of a bridesmaid, second on six occasions, including in her last four starts, but in serious company.
"Last October, Joseph (O’Brien, trainer) said he thought she could be a Triumph Hurdle horse, and we were all up for it so that’s been the plan since. She ran at Christmas but messed up five hurdles and then was impeded before and after the last hurdle and we learned from that. The last day at the DRF in February was all about settling her into a rhythm and she came like a train at the finish, and I think she’d have won if the race was a little bit longer.
"I don’t think she got the credit she deserved the last day. I think she would have beaten Hello Neighbour with another 50 yards. She has a real good each-way chance at 20/1 and you could do a lot worse this week."
