3 minute read
Ace Impact will swerve the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes and go straight to the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October.
Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, the three-year-old remains unbeaten after five starts. He recorded an impressive three-and-a-half success in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) at Chantilly in early June and followed up with a victory in the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville.
In an interview with leading French publication Jour De Galop, Kamel Cheboub, representative of Gousserie Racing, said: "His trainer, Jean-Claude Rouget, wanted to keep him fresh for the Arc. There are only three weeks between the Champion Stakes and the target… It is not a long time because the transport takes a while…it takes nearly twenty hours. The plane was therefore the best option, but we wanted to keep the horse fresh.
"Racing in the Prix Niel would not bring him much benefit. Moreover, in Deauville, it has been raining a lot lately, which has prevented him from being able to work normally. We joined the adventure along the way [NB: Gousserie Racing bought into Ace Impact following his Prix du Jockey Club victory], maybe that's why it feels like a little less pressure. In the past, we have had good horses. It would therefore be a great achievement to win the Arc de Triomphe… with that being the case, you have to keep your feet on the ground".
Ace Impact is currently the 4/1 favourite for the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on 1 October.
