'The logical next step is the Breeders' Cup' - Onesto set for US mission after finishing third in the Arc

There was a mixture of emotions among the vanquished after Ace Impact swept down the middle of the broad Longchamp swathe to claim Arc number two for Jean-Claude Rouget and Cristian Demuro.

Onesto could now head to the Breeders' Cup Turf off the back of a real return to form, beaten a length and three-quarters and a short head in third.

Onesto was well backed for last year's Arc following a narrow defeat to Luxembourg in the Irish Champion Stakes, but was completely unsuited by the deep ground 12 months ago.

This year the son of Frankel came into the Arc off a desperate preparation, having missed the first half of the season through a combination of ground and injury.

After finishing fourth on his comeback over an inadequate mile, Onesto completely failed to figure on his return to Leopardstown but, despite being friendless with punters, his trainer Fabrice Chappet kept the faith.

"I’ve always said you had to put a line through Ireland, which is the only bad performance of his life," said Chappet. "He’s always very competitive, even if more than once he hasn’t been so lucky. 

"He got quite far back but he followed the winner into the straight and came home really strongly. He was giving three kilos to the winner and was a head away from being second. I thought he might get there, but the weight told. He’s still run brilliantly."

Chappet added: "The logical next step is the Breeders’ Cup."

It is ten years since Orfevre and Kizuna chased home Treve, and Japanese racing fans enjoyed the finest performance since that 2013 Arc when Through Seven Seas ran fourth for trainer Tomohito Ozeki.

"She has run very, very well," said jockey Christophe Lemaire. "She hasn’t run over 2,400 metres [1m4f] since the Oaks two years ago. 

"She pulled a little all through the race and then, as is her habit, she went through the gears gradually. She just lacked a final kick to get to the leaders. But she has run to a very high level."

Lemaire added: "She picked up really well and I thought we might do it, but this is the Arc and they are never easy."

Bay Bridge (blue cap) Through Seven Seas (green hoops) and Onesto (number 3) give chase to Ace Impact and Westover at the thrilling conlusion to the ArcCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Several of those in behind blamed a lack of early pace for defeat, although it should be noted that Ace Impact's final time of 2m 25.50sec is the fourth-fastest Arc run at Longchamp, and was only a second outside Danedream's 2011 record. 

One of those bemoaning the early fractions was Aidan O'Brien, as Continuous, the other Japanese-bred in the 15-runner line-up, stayed on gamely for fifth.

The colt, who proved his stamina when scoring by two and three-quarter lengths over 1m6½f in the St Leger at Doncaster last month, was beaten three and a half lengths by Ace Impact.

O'Brien said: "I was very happy. We made the decision to take our time and relax, and he dropped in lovely. The pace was very slow so they sprinted in the last two or three furlongs. He was coming through, but obviously the winner quickened up on the outside. He's probably best over a strongly run mile and a half."

The three-year-old has plenty of potential targets going forward, however. "He can do a lot of things," said O'Brien. "He could go to Japan, Hong Kong, America or Dubai. All those things are open to him.

"He's a ready-made four-year-old and we think the best is yet to come.".

Bay Bridge was one of the first to figure from a handy draw in stall six but fought Richard Kingscote for his head on the climb up behind the Petit Bois in the back straight. In the circumstances he did well to stay on for sixth. 

"He was just a little keen," said trainer Sir Michael Stoute. "We’ll see how he comes out of it and decide if we go to Ascot [for the Champion Stakes]."

Jim Crowley blamed the ground for Hukum's ninth-placed finish, the King George winner fading after hitting the front two furlongs out.

The jockey said: "We got a good position from [stall] 14 and travelled well. Turning into the straight I just felt the ground had quickened up. His best ground is good to soft, and to me this was good to firm."

Feed The Flame, the other star French-trained three-year-old colt, returned with a cut to his leg having finished eighth.

"He struck into himself two hundred metres from the finish," said owner Jean-Louis Bouchard. "But in any case he wouldn’t have beaten Ace Impact. What the winner did was just fantastic."

Read these next:

Favourite Ace Impact extends unbeaten streak with brilliant Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe performance 

2023 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe full result: where your horse finished for the Longchamp showpiece including each-way places 

'I'm bowing out with a smile on my face!' - no joy for Frankie Dettori on his final ride in the Arc 

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