Arc favourite Ace Impact was put through his paces in a racecourse gallop at Deauville yesterday with connections reporting Jean-Claude Rouget’s contender to have worked very well.
In the early hours of the morning in Paris, Ace Impact set out on an important piece of work in his preparation to become trainer Jean-Claude Rouget's second Arc winner, following Sottsass' brilliant display back in 2020.
Partnered by regular rider Cristian Demuro, the pair set off tracking stablemate and lead horse Cambronne, who was ridden by Enzo Crublet, as a trio of horses set out on an 1800m gallop down the Deauville stretch. Ace Impact eased alongside his lead horse at the 200m marker before readily stretching clear, leaving connections more than satisfied.
Demuro said: "The track is in superb condition, it's like a billiards table… I would say that it was perfect for this type of work. Ace Impact knows the track by heart. I have a very good feeling with him.
With the Arc just eleven days ago, Jean-Claude Rouget confirmed the horse would have one last more gradual piece of work next Monday.
"Next Monday, Ace Impact will do one last piece of work which will obviously be less strong than this one. As we have seen, he wants to gallop. I would say he is like all good horses: he preserves himself."
He added: "It progresses as we go along, a bit like a late foal. This is also why he was not seen [on the track] at 2 years old. As the months go by, Ace Impact gains strength. For the moment, I don't know yet if he will stay in training at four. This decision will be made following his performance in the Arc.
"We are only focused on the Arc as an objective. There are only six weeks between his last victory in the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano and the Arc. It's not long, and less difficult to manage. The interval between the Prix du Jockey Club and Prix Guillaume d'Ornano was longer and more difficult to manage. We had to find the right balance between lifting the foot off the pedal while remaining active enough to perform straight away in the Group 2 at Deauville."
Ace Impact currently heads the betting at a general 3/1 to claim Europe's middle-distance showpiece at Longchamp on October 1st.
