It is January 26th on the Cagnes-sur-Mer racecourse (Alpes-Maritimes). Ace Impact wins his first race. And Jean-Claude Rouget is already thinking about the prestigious Prix du Jockey Club (Gr. I), which will take place almost five months later... "When I came down from the stands after this success, I had this race in mind (sic) but you are never sure of anything," says the one who won for the sixth time this Group I, joining Pascal Bary, one of his opponents at this Sunday meeting.
🥇SENSATIONAL, Ace Impact (6) wins the #Qatar Prix du #JockeyClub, Gr I to #Chantilly!
🤯 What a horse! What a race! He remains undefeated and offers this prize for the 6⃣first time to Jean-Claude Rouget and a 3⃣second time to Cristian Demuro 👏 pic.twitter.com/xvTCI7eBy7
— Equidia (@equidia) June 4, 2023
"Faster than Sottsass"
As in most summits, whatever the sport, there is a great story behind a victory. This time, and despite a small peloton since they were eleven 3-year-old foals at the start, Ace Impact was sublime, while beating the record of the event. Still second to last at the entrance of the straight, he came to dominate head and shoulders the very good Big Rock, and made his jockey, Cristian Demuro, winner for the third time of this mythical race: "I did not want to put him in the red when starting and took advantage of the back of the favorite. When I disconnected, at the beginning of the straight, I had crazy sensations and knew I was going to come and win. He goes faster than Sottsass with whom I won this race in 2019 before winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. It's phew (sic)! As for the winner's mentor, he concludes: "Cristian is a great professional, winning his third Jockey Club Award, and it took a champion to beat Christopher Head's boarder. »
