Cracksman serves up an Ace in Prix du Jockey Club

Cracksman made an extraordinary breakthrough into the Classic sphere with his maiden crop after the striking victory by his unbeaten son Ace Impact in Sunday’s Prix du Jockey Club.

The result sees Frankel celebrating Group 1 success as a grandsire,  with the Dalham Hall resident being a member of the very first set of foals sired by Frankel from Banstead Manor.

Cracksman is still the highest rated Frankel to have appeared, having reached an official peak of 130 and Racing Post Rating of 131, running third in the Derby and finishing second in the Irish equivalent before two commanding victories in the Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Ace Impact was already one of his five stakes winners (his biggest to date had been through Aloa in the Group 2 Premio Dormello) in last month’s Listed Prix de Suresnes, over just about the Jockey Club course and distance, and this was a performance on another level entirely as he hunted down the boldly-ridden Big Rock and came right away in a quick time.

Inbred 4x5 to the mighty Allegretta, Ace Impact was bought by his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget for €75,000 at the Arqana August Yearling Sale in 2021. Bred by Waltraut Spanner out of the Listed-placed Anabaa Blue mare Absolutly Me, he is a half-brother to two other black type performers in France in Alessandro and Apollo Flight and one of five winners from as many foals. The breeder has a two-year-old half-brother by Gleneagles, named Arrow Eagle, registered with Rouget.

Frankel would be on the board himself later on a glittering card at Chantilly. His 83rd worldwide Group or Graded victory came in the Prix de Sandringham, with Kelina showing her authority at Group 2 level after a fourth in the French Guineas. The Wertheimer family homebred is out of a Listed-winning half-sister of George Strawbridge's outstanding Prix du Cadran winner Call The Wind (who is by Frankel)  as well as to Group 1 winners We Are and With You.

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