World champion racehorse and now an established champion sire Frankel, ticked another box in France overnight when becoming the sire of a Group I producing sire when his first son to stud Cracksman sired Ace Impact to win the Group I Prix du Jockey Club (2100m).
Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget and ridden by Cristian Demuro, Ace Impact did not race at two, but has been on a steady rise this year winning his first three starts with each win better than the last including a Listed victory at Chantilly last month.
Ace Impact stormed home from last to win by three and a half lengths running away and stopped the clock in race record time as he put paid to the race favourite Big Rock at just his fourth start.
"He was pretty untested before," said Rouget, who has won the French Derby six times.
"He put on a demonstration in the Prix de Suresnes but that didn’t tell you a lot, it was more like a time-trial. When he won first up at Cagnes I thought I saw something in him; he has a different stride to the others and an enormous engine. He has the gas and the will to win."
Rouget did not confirm a future plan for Ace Impact although he is well in the market for the Group I Eclipse and for the Arc.
Ace Impact was bought for €75,000 from the Arcana Deauville August Yearling Sale and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Apollo Flight and Alessandro being the best of five winners from five foals to race from stakes-placed Anabaa Blue mare Absolutly Me.
Ace Impact is the first Group I winner among five stakes-winners from the first crop of Cracksman, who stands for Darley at Dalham Hall at a fee of 17,500 pounds. His five stakes-winners are from 95 runners so 5.7% SW to runner is certainly encouraging.
