Some TV-friendly dramatics from Ace Impact in the paddock but Johnny Murtagh stuck by him
Johnny Murtagh knew. Some 23 years after riding Sinndar to victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, he won the race again as a pundit on Sunday by very firmly telling ITV4's audience that Ace Impact was the horse to be with.
Oh, pshaw, why should anyone be given credit for picking a horse who'd been favourite for months? I hear you asking. Timing is the answer.
It is easy enough to put your finger on the horse with a row of ones next to his name in the cool of the morning when nothing has gone wrong yet. Murtagh did it when Ace Impact was throwing himself around in the paddock like a horse who didn't fancy being told how to behave.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Copy- Arc ante-post outsiders: four horses available at 20-1 or bigger who look overpriced for Longchamp
- Aidan O'Brien enters ten as 73 horses are put into the mix for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
- The year of living dangerously: Rouget has masterminded an extraordinary and daring season with Ace Impact
- 'It would be fantastic to travel with him' - Ace Impact team raise possibility of more to come from Arc hero
- 'His brilliance was seen to full effect on the drying ground' - expert analysis after Ace Impact's stunning Arc win
- Arc ante-post outsiders: four horses available at 20-1 or bigger who look overpriced for Longchamp
- Aidan O'Brien enters ten as 73 horses are put into the mix for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
- The year of living dangerously: Rouget has masterminded an extraordinary and daring season with Ace Impact
- 'It would be fantastic to travel with him' - Ace Impact team raise possibility of more to come from Arc hero
- 'His brilliance was seen to full effect on the drying ground' - expert analysis after Ace Impact's stunning Arc win