Ace Impact is a royal-bred flush in the Arc

Another year, another superstar, even another possible GOAT. In recent decades, global racing has been swamped by wave after wave of great horses and it’s getting hard to even remember them all.

On Sunday, Jean-Claude Rouget said: “We always say they’re the best when a new horse comes along; but I think he’s got the strongest acceleration I’ve seen.”

Actually that would mean “the best” as the veteran French trainer has seen many of the greats in his time.
Rouget had just unsaddled his colt Ace Impact at Longchamp after the three-year-old’s stunning victory in the 2023 Prix de la Arc de Triomphe, generally regarded as Europe’s premier horse race.

Ace Impact has had only six races so far, so it’s a bit early to put him up with modern-day legends. But he has won all six of those races – and mighty impressively, too. On Sunday, he was settled quietly at the back of the field by his regular rider, Italian Christian Demurro, after plenty of histrionics in the parade ring and canter down.

Backers of the unbeaten hot favourite were a worried bunch as he entered the straight several lengths off the pace. Had he spent his best in the prelims? But worries evaporated in the Paris autumn sunshine as Demurro shook the reins and Ace Impact streaked to the lead and history.

It was his first attempt at 2400m; racing on hard ground in top-level company, so comparisons with the best in memory are inevitable.

One modern marvel is Frankel, who won 14 out of 14 – and who happens to be Ace Impact’s grandfather.

Same league?

But is Ace Impact even in the league of other 21st century Euro marvels like Sea The Stars, Rock Of Gibraltar and Enable? Or Americans Flightline and Zenyatta?

We’ll never know. Not least because Ace Impact might not get to show us more as there is talk of him heading straight to stud.

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Nonetheless, the Champion Stakes at Ascot is a month away, with the colt positioned as 3-1 favourite, and the connections might be tempted by the UK’s season curtain call.

A victory there would bring further serendipity. The 2017 and 2018 Champion Stakes winner was Cracksman – who happens to be Ace Impact’s father! (Aforementioned granddad Frankel won it, too, in 2012.)

Indeed, Ace Impact’s bloodline is all the proof you need that breeding the best to the best is the way to go. Cracksman is linebred to Northern Dancer, the most influential sire of the 20th century, who appears five times in the fifth generation of his pedigree.

Something worth noting is that Frankel’s 2023 stallion fee was £275,000 (R6.4 million), while his son Cracksman was on offer for £17,500 (R407,000) – backing the notion that sons of champion sires are often brilliant budget breeding options.