HOME By The Lee exacted revenge on old foe Bob Olinger to win his second Railway Bar Lismullen Hurdle in the space of three years for Joseph O’Brien, Danny Mullins and proud owner-breeder Sean O’Driscoll.

A winner of this race in 2022, when spectacularly trading as big as 999/1 in-running on his way to upsetting Bob Olinger, he was no match for the same rival here 12 months ago but took full advantage of a shift at the weights on Saturday.

Having conceded 9lb to Henry de Bromhead’s popular campaigner when third in last year’s Lismullen, he was in receipt of 5lb this time and stayed on stoutly in his typically gritty fashion to collect by three and a half lengths at 7/1.

Now a nine-time winner with close to €350,000 earned in prize money, the Grade 1 scorer has been a terrific servant to connections. Mullins did a fine job deputising for the injured J.J. Slevin, who was on track to watch his regular ride strike for the first time in nearly two years.

O’Brien said: “He had run well in this race over the last couple of years and he was a good bit better off at the weights this year. This is very much his first run of the year, but I thought he really went through the race well and jumped well. Danny was impressed with him. I couldn't be happier.”

On what lies ahead for the 2022 Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle winner, O’Brien added: “We always keep him fresh, so we'll wait for Christmas [at Leopardstown] now and then he will go to Cheltenham. His path kind of plots itself."

Race sponsors Paddy Power trimmed him to 16/1 (from 25/1) for the 2025 Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Also emerging from Saturday's contest with major credit was the Bill Durkan-trained Eagle Fang, who posted a career-best to finish third at odds of 40/1 and finished just three and a half lengths adrift of Bob Olinger (11/8 favourite).

Jetara was the disappointment of the race, having been well supported and sent off 2/1, but she was reportedly showing signs of being in season post race.