ONE YEAR ALREADY
ACE
IMPACT
A NEW LIFE
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By Cécile Adonias
A year ago , Ace Impact reached the top of the world . A year later , he ’ s settled at Haras de Beaumont , near Deauville where he prepared for his exploits . He has embarked on the great career that awaits every champion , that of a stallion .
Almost a year to the day after Ace Impact ’ s victory in the Qatar Prix de l ’ Arc de Triomphe , under the colours of Serge Stempniak in association with the Gousserie Racing stable of the Chehboub family , the 4-year-old colt has moved on . Pauline Chehboub now manages the stallion career of the resident of Haras de Beaumont , near Deauville . The memory of the colt ’ s greatest victory still evokes many emotions in the young woman today . « Above all , we feel a lot of pride ,» she says . « We have managed to achieve what few have achieved in a lifetime as an owner ! A horse like him , there ’ s one every decade . We are very proud of ourselves , and for France too ! He contributes to the influence of French racing internationally .» Ace Impact is now at the start of a new career , as a stallion , and it ’ s as if everything remains to be done . « Physically , he has evolved very quickly ,» explains Pauline Chehboub . « He has developed well despite a busy season ( 183 mares covered ), as his services have been very popular with Europeans , Americans and
Japanese alike ! Ace Impact is a very intelligent horse , who understood what we expected of him . Jean- Claude Rouget called him « Mr . No Worries » and this nickname fits him like a glove . He ’ s a dream horse ! He is very endearing and loves human contact . We are very grateful to have him and he appreciates every moment of his new life .» Haras de Beaumont was created two years ago . Two champions in their respective categories have entered since : Sealiway in 2023 and Ace Impact in 2024 . « It ’ s the result of a lot of work and investment ,» continues Pauline Chehboub , who leads the organisation with Émilie and Mathieu Alex . « Everything is done to ensure a quality service for breeders and for our breeding . Professionals and fans are always welcome at the stud to discover and rediscover the stallions .» Indeed , sharing is an important value for the Chehboub family : « Seeing people with stars in their eyes when we welcome them is priceless !» The team also remains focused on the development of the stud and the promotion of its stallions . « Ace Impact was supported for his first year at stud and will continue to be through the efforts of the whole team led by Mathieu Alex . We are giving him every chance to succeed at stud .»
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A THUNDEROUS RETURN
The incredible finish of Ace Impact in the 2023 Qatar Prix de l ’ Arc de Triomphe is still fresh in everyone ’ s memory . His sixth victory , which was also his sixth race , was achieved thanks to a colossal effort between the 400m and 200m markers , where he moved from ninth to second place in a field of fifteen runners . The final 11 seconds , in which he overhauled the seemingly unbeatable Westover , who had been ridden more patiently , were also exceptional .
Onesto , who finished third , covered the last 600 metres of the race as quickly as the winner , and the two colts had started from stalls 8 and 9 respectively . The short head that separated the two French colts at the finish was lost by Onesto at the start of the race . He was the only one to dip under 11 seconds for the last 200 metres of the race . But there can only be one winner : a covering by Ace Impact is worth three times that of Onesto . Another race is now underway at stud , one that will last two and a half years rather than two kilometres and four hundred metres . Run on good to soft ground ( 3.3 on the penetrometer ), the fastest since the tracking system was introduced at Longchamp in 2019 , the 2023 Arc was the quickest since Danedream , who clocked 2 ’ 24 » 5 on good ground in the 2011 edition . Ace Impact was a second slower than the German mare , but no fewer than six runners clocked sub-11 second furlongs for the 200m , while none had managed that since 2019 . None had even gone under 11.7 , in fact , on ground ranging from very soft to holding . Sottsass won on heavy ground , Sea the Stars and Zarkava were slower
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