Rewritetherules dominated the 2021 Bishopscourt Cup as he carried the welter burden of 12 stone 9lbs to record a very comfortable success for the Shark Hanlon yard.
Never too far from the pace as he tracked the pace-setting Beyond Redemption, the seven-year-old found things a lot more to his liking in this company having pulled up in the Aintree Foxhunters three weeks earlier.
Moving through to lead approaching the home bend following some good leaps along the side of the course, he did get in close to the penultimate fence, however the race was quickly sewn up by the point and with no issues at the last, Tom Hamilton was able to steer the even-money favourite to record a eight-length success.
The 2018 winner Alpha Male came through to take the second spot, as he got the better of the long-time leader Beyond Redemption on the run-in, with the evergreen 16-year-old veteran Enniskillen back in fourth.
“It is great to get a winner before tomorrow, it gives you a bit of heard,” said the winning trainer ahead of his stable star Skyace running in the Grade 1 Champion Mares Hurdle on Saturday.
“The plan when the owners bought him was to win this race, the O’Rourke’s have wanted to win this race for years and years. Getting the cup today was the big plan and I am delighted to get the job done for them.
“He will probably go hurdling and chasing now, but I have no real plan for him. If he is not good enough in those races he will be left off and come back for this again next year.
“I was afraid of the ground this morning when they changed it to Yielding, I was thinking ‘Geez, I hope it’s not gone too soft,’ because he wants Good ground. He is a horse with big feet and usually horses with big feet want soft ground but this lad wants it Good.
