Cristian Demuro hails 'extraterrestrial' Ace Impact as Arc and Jockey Club hero is retired

Ace Impact, the electric winner of both the Prix du Jockey Club and the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, has been retired to stand at the Haras de Beaumont stud in Normandy.

Unbeaten in six starts, the son of Cracksman leaves the racing stage on the day his rating of 128 was confirmed by the international handicappers of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, making him the leading three-year-old in the world, European horse of the year-elect, and just a pound shy of joining Equinox at the very summit of world racing.

Reflecting on his meteoric career, Ace Impact was described by jockey Cristian Demuro as "an extraterrestrial," while co-owners Kamel and Pauline Chehboub have returned from several days touring the sales grounds in Newmarket with ringing endorsements for "the horse who makes so many people dream".

In the immediate aftermath of his Arc demolition, trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and co-owners Serge Stempniak and the Chehboub family weighed up options which included travelling the horse to the Japan Cup, or keeping him in training for an international campaign next year.

But with the race record of 2m 02.63s for his blistering success in the Prix du Jockey Club to his name, and the evidence of his extraordinary final three furlongs in the Arc – at 33.05s he has been credited by Simon Rowlands with coming home faster than Dancing Brave in 1986 – the decision has been made to retire Ace Impact while he is "100 per cent sound and healthy".

Demuro said: "He's an extraterrestrial and you only see a horse of this quality once every five or ten years. To win the Arc as a three-year-old with such acceleration and to remain unbeaten is extraordinary.

"His acceleration is explosive and very few horses are able to really stretch out like he does. I've ridden several of his siblings and his dam produces real racehorses."

Ace Impact has been arguably the masterpiece of Rouget's long career, the trainer taking him from his debut success on the all-weather at Cagnes-sur-Mer on January 26 to win France's Derby on just his fourth start. Rouget then got him to a second peak on Arc day off the back of a solitary prep run at Deauville, a full six weeks before Europe's greatest all-aged race.

Rouget said: "Ace Impact produced six perfect performances. It has been an amazing year for everyone who supports and loves this horse.

"Real acceleration is the gift possessed by only the top-notchers. There are a certain number of very good horses but champions like him are rare. Ace Impact was one of the few that showed such devastating acceleration, he is among the real exceptions."

Jean Claude Rouget and Cristian Demuro are both overjoyed after Ace Impact's stunning Arc triumphCredit: Edward Whitaker

Rouget added: "It's great that he will go to stud basking in the glow of these victories and it is so rare to string together a series like he did, winning the Jockey Club and the Arc."

A fee will be announced by the team at Haras de Beaumont in the coming weeks but both stud director Mathieu Alex and his owners are determined to give Ace Impact every chance to succeed in his stallion career.

"To welcome an athlete of the calibre of Ace Impact to Haras de Beaumont is an extraordinary privilege," said Alex. "Blessed with spectacular acceleration, his record-breaking Classic victory had already provoked a huge amount of interest among French and foreign breeders. We have come back from Newmarket where it is obvious the horse is a real star, which is remarkable given he never raced abroad.

"To stand this record-breaker in France, on our own Normandy soil, is a source of great pride."

Ace Impact breaks the record for the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club at ChantillyCredit: Haras de Beaumont / APRH

Thanking original owner Serge Stempniak for agreeing to allow them to participate in the adventure, Kamel and Pauline Chehboub added: "He is a champion, the perfect athlete and one blessed with remarkable conformation. Ace Impact has become hugely popular among the breeders of France, Britain and Ireland.

"That's what we learned on our tour of the sales in Newmarket; he is quite simply a horse who makes so many people dream, touching them with the class of his performances.

"It is a real opportunity for France to be able to welcome the world's best three-year-old and the best horse in Europe at stud."

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