Ace Impact, a first-crop son of Cracksman, remained unbeaten with a fantastic victory in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club on Sunday, 4 June. Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, he was held up in the rear in the early stages. Despite struggling for room in the early parts of the straight, he quickened up well on the outside to reel in long-time leader Big Rock to win going away by three-and-a-half lengths, with French Classic winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi back in third.
The winning time of 2:02.63 was a track record, beating Sottsass who won the same race in 2019.
What a performance!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 4, 2023
Ace Impact storms through to win the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club as he runs down favourite Big Rock at @fgchantilly... pic.twitter.com/leWB3si4L4
Unraced as a juvenile, Ace Impact has now won all of his four starts including a Listed Trial victory at Chantilly at the start of May.
Bred by Waltraut Spanner and a €75,000 yearling, Ace Impact is a son of the Anabaa Blue mare Absolutly Me, who was placed at Stakes level in Germany.
Dual G1 Champion Stakes hero Cracksman’s first-crop are now three. Ace Impact is his first G1 winner but it also includes Stakes-winning juveniles Aloa, Dance In The Grass and Cracksmania, plus three-year-old Classic hopeful Weracruz, a winner of a Listed race in Germany on her last start.
