Rouget Pleased With Ace Impact Ahead Of The Arc, As Field Takes Shape

The undefeated G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe favourite Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) is pleasing trainer Jean-Claude Rouget ahead of the big day on Sunday. He is one of 16 on the radar for the ParisLongchamp showpiece after Sprewell (Ire) (Churchill {Ire})'s defection at the latest forfeit stage on Tuesday.

A colourbearer for Gousserie Racing and Ecuries Serge Stempniak, the five-for-five G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero ran out a three-quarter length winner of the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano when last seen in August.

“Why shouldn't I be optimistic? I'm coming in with a horse that's unbeaten,” said Rouget, who is seeking his second Arc after the success of Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in 2020.

“We know in any race anything can happen and we're coming to the end of the season, but he gets three kilos from the older horses, which is important. I'm optimistic in the sense that he goes into the race unbeaten and has done everything we have asked him to so far.

“It's been six weeks [since Deauville] and the six weeks have passed very quickly.”

The 2400-metre Arc will be the colt's first try over that trip and at that racecourse. In the lead up to Sunday's card, the weather also appears to be playing fair which is good news for several contenders.

“Obviously we can't be certain, but with the way he finishes his races and also the fact his sire was a winner over the distance gives us hope that he can stay,” he continued. “If the Prix du Jockey Club [French Derby] had been over a mile and a half, as it was in the past, he would have won that.

“Last year Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) was in the same place for us and he ran really well [finished second to Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB})]. I'm not worried about the course, he's an easy horse once he's settled in his race and there are plenty of horses that have won the Arc that also hadn't run at Longchamp before.

“I think it is going to be good for everyone, which is an interesting point about this year's race. In the past the race was often criticised for its heavy ground and the fact horses are tired, but this year I think the ground is going to suit everyone.”

 

Ground Key For Feed The Flame And Fantastic Moon

G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB})'s camp is hoping for a bit of ease in the ground. Pascal Bary is seeking his first Arc, and is also confident in his Jean-Louis Bouchard-owned colt, who was second to Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) in the G2 Prix Niel earlier this month.

“He's a very good horse, he has a very good temperament and he gets the mile and a half really, really well,” said Bary. “I think on the day of the Arc, the ground will be slightly different and he will be more comfortable on that ground.

“Anything a bit softer than the ground he encountered in the Jockey Club, Grand Prix de Paris and Prix Niel would be appreciated.”

The connections of G1 Deutsches Derby hero and Prix Niel scorer Fantastic Moon were pleased with their colt's Tuesday work at Munich and have not ruled out the Arc at this stage. Raced by the Liberty Racing Syndicate, Fantastic Moon would need to be supplemented.

“Fantastic Moon's work in Munich was very good,” said Liberty Racing Syndicate's Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten on X on Tuesday morning. “The trainer will have a discussion with the owners about the possibilities with an eye on ground conditions. The Arc is in any case again a real option, if the sun continues.”

Another expected supplement is the Coolmore partners' Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), who won the G1 St Leger for Aidan O'Brien in mid-September.

The post Rouget Pleased With Ace Impact Ahead Of The Arc, As Field Takes Shape appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Feed The Flame To Prep For The Arc In The Prix Niel

Kingman (GB)'s Group 1 winner Feed The Flame (GB) will prepare for a start in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in September's G2 Prix Niel, according to trainer Pascal Bary.

All three of the colt's wins have come at ParisLongchamp, with a winning April debut parlayed into another victory in a Class 2 affair later that month. The 'TDN Rising Star' ran fourth in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club in June, prior to bouncing back in the Grand Prix du Paris on Bastille Day.

“Tres bien, he is very well,” said Chantilly-based Bary of the Jean-Louis Bouchard runner. “He's to run on the 10th of September in the Prix Niel. He needs that [run over course and distance] before the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He knows the course very well now, he has won there three times.”

The post Feed The Flame To Prep For The Arc In The Prix Niel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Grand Prix De Paris Glory For Kingman’s TDN Rising Star Feed The Flame

Putting the “wow factor” into Friday night's G1 Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp, Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard's TDN Rising Star Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}–Knyazhna {Ire}, by Montjeu {Ire}) swooped on unsuspecting victims to provide further proof of the outstanding merit of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club form. Only fourth behind Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) in that 10 1/2-furlong Chantilly Classic, the Pascal Bary trainee who had dazzled on his first two starts looked an unlikely winner throughout the early stages with Cristian Demuro detached in last.

It was not until the turn into the straight that the eventual winner truly engaged and while he had all rivals still to pass there, he was in their range and ready to fire his bullets. Ryan Moore committed first on the Irish Derby runner-up Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}) with the 8-5 favourite Soul Sister (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) chasing hard, but it was Feed The Flame who was finishing with the biggest rattle on the outside. Looking as if he had jumped in 100 metres from the finish, the 13-5 second favourite was in domineering mood as he registered a length verdict over Adelaide River, with the Oaks heroine Soul Sister a neck away in third.

“He's a great horse,” Bary said. “The Prix du Jockey Club came a little soon for him and 2400 metres is his true distance. He broke slow, but he needs time to warm up and he has terrific acceleration. I won this race for Juddmonte with Zambezi Sun and both horses had exactly the same career up to this, winning the same first two races and then finishing fourth in the Jockey Club, so history can repeat itself sometimes. We will give him a break now and wait for September and the [G2] Prix Niel and then the Arc.”

 

So demonstrative when successful by 5 1/2 lengths over 10 1/2 furlongs on the opening card of ParisLongchamp's 2023 season, Feed The Flame beat the subsequent G3 Prix Hocquart winner First Minister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and fellow TDN Rising Star Silver Crack (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}) next time over another 55 yards in this venue's Prix de Ferrieres conditions race prior to his first genuine test in the Jockey Club. This was probably an upgrade on that effort after a subsequent freshener, but it is hard to get away from how strong that race looks this year, with Ace Impact recording stunning sectionals to deny the top-class Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}).

Jean-Louis Bouchard said, “Christophe Soumillon said after his second outing that he was probably more of a 2400-metre colt rather than a Prix du Jockey Club colt and so an Arc type. We've been working together with Pascal Bary for a long time. With my trainers, it's very much a team effort and I'm also thinking of Stephane Wattel because it's thanks to him that if I own Feed the Flame as he trained the colt's brother Sacred Life for me who should have won his race.”

Soul Sister appeared to have no excuses in third and Kieran Shoemark said, “We didn't go particularly quick, which suited us because she's got a strong turn of foot and I tried to utilise that into the straight. She picked up well for me, but I struggled to peg back Ryan [Moore] and I think we've been beaten by a very good colt.”

Thady Gosden echoed that sentiment. “The winner looks an exceptional colt. He quickened by the whole field from arguably the worst position in the race like a proper horse,” he said. “He looked smart coming into this and was supplemented like our filly, he's probably one of the best mile-and-a-half horses around at the moment. She's run a very good race in defeat to him. There are options back with the fillies now, we'll see how she comes out of it and probably do that.”

Pedigree Notes

Feed The Flame is the sixth of seven foals and fourth winner out of the unraced Knyazhna, a half-sister to the dual group 2-placed sire Migwar (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) who produced the aforementioned Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) whose career successes included the GIII Monmouth S., GIII Knickerbocker S. and G3 Prix Thomas Bryon. Also responsible for the G2 Prix Hocquart third Khagan (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}), she is a granddaughter of the Listed Rose Bowl S. winner Crystal Crossing (Ire) (Royal Academy) who produced the G1 St Leger-winning sire and Derby runner-up Rule Of Law (Kingmambo), the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile runner-up Dame Marie (Smart Strike) and the listed-placed dam of the G3 Chartwell Fillies S. winner Tomyris (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her unraced 2-year-old colt Gulf Legend (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) was a €300,000 private purchase at the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale.

Friday, ParisLongchamp, France
GRAND PRIX DE PARIS-G1, €600,000, ParisLongchamp, 7-14, 3yo, c/f, 12fT, 2:26.71, g/s.
1–FEED THE FLAME (GB), 129, c, 3, by Kingman (GB)
     1st Dam: Knyazhna (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire)
     2nd Dam: Katyusha, by Kingmambo
     3rd Dam: Crystal Crossing (Ire), by Royal Academy
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST G1 WIN. TDN Rising Star. (€270,000 Ylg '21 ARQAUG). O-Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard; B-Ecurie des Monceaux, Lordship Stud & Clear Light SAS (GB); T-Pascal Bary; J-Cristian Demuro. €342,840. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, €113,150. *1/2 to Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), MGSW-US & GSW-Fr, $920,768; and Khagan (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}), MGSP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Adelaide River (Ire), 129, c, 3, Australia (GB)–Could It Be Love, by War Front. O-Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith/Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €137,160.
3–Soul Sister (Ire), 126, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Dream Peace (Ire), by Dansili (GB). O/B-Lady Bamford (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. €68,580.
Margins: 1, NK, 3HF. Odds: 2.60, 4.20, 1.60.
Also Ran: First Minister (Ire), Winter Pudding (Fr), Rubis Vendome (GB), Peking Opera (Ire), Silawi (Ire). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Grand Prix De Paris Glory For Kingman’s TDN Rising Star Feed The Flame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Cracksman’s Ace Impact Sweeps Aside Big Rock For Jockey Club Glory

Ecuries Serge Stempniak's hitherto undefeated Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}–Absolutly Me {F}, by Anabaa Blue {GB}) posted a third straight win when annexing last month's Listed Prix de Suresnes at Chantilly and returned to that Paris venue for Classic glory in Sunday's €1,500,000 G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club.

Preceding his black-type breakthrough with impressive early-season wins at Cagnes-sur-Mer and Bordeaux-Le Bouscat, the 19-2 chance extended trainer Jean-Claude Rouget's record to six wins in the contest after defeating 17-10 favourite Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) by an impressive 3 1/2 lengths. The trainer has now won five of the last eight renewals while jockey Cristian Demuro, also victorious aboard Rouget's Brametot and Sottsass, improved his tally to three. The winning time of 2:02.63 was a new standard for the race, going under Sottsass's previous best by 0.27 seconds.

Ace Impact employed patient tactics from flagfall and settled several lengths off Big Rock's tempo in 10th with 'TDN Rising Star' Padishakh (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) the only rival in arrears. Making smooth headway on the bridle in the straight, he was stirred into action passing the quarter-mile marker and powered off into the distance once swooping to deprive Big Rock of control with 100 metres remaining. Christopher Head's long-time leader was safely clear of the remainder, with G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) running on well from off the pace to finish 2 1/2 lengths further adrift in third. Rising Stars filled three of the next four spots with the supplemented Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}) fourth, Epictetus (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) fifth and Padishakh seventh.

“We've always liked him, I call him 'Monsieur Sans Souci' and he really is without a care in the world,” said Rouget. “I've never had any problems with him, apart from the fact that he managed to sport a winter coat in the middle of summer. We gave him all the time he needed as I saw something in him when he made his debut at Cagnes-sur-Mer this year. He sprouted wings in the straight that day, just like he did today. He's a very good colt and we thought he was good, but he needed to prove it. I think having three races under your belt prior to running in the Jockey Club is a good thing, but just two races is cutting it a bit fine. When Sottsass ran I didn't believe he was up to it, because of the ground, and yet he blew us away. Just like Ace Impact did today. Sottsass was exceptional, capable of winning on any ground, and Ace Impact has proved that he's very good. I'm very happy to see the colours of a French owner win the race.”

Looking ahead, but without committing to immediate targets, the trainer added, “He's entered in the [G1] Eclipse [at Sandown], but we'll mull matters over first. He has the profile for the [G1] Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as he has both the physique and the stride pattern. I'd prefer him to run on good ground, like all good horses, but he should be able to emulate Sottsass and be capable of winning on both fast and heavy ground. There are races for him before the Arc and his future programme has not yet been established. Obviously, we are tempted [by the Arc].” Rouget also indicated his other runners Padishakh (7th) and Rajapour (10th) ran too freely and shall revert to shorter trips in the future.

The Also Rans
Connections of the vanquished paid homage to the spectaular nature of Ace Impact's demonstration and were in largely positive mood in the aftermath. Big Rock's trainer Christopher Head was first out of the blocks and admitted, “Big Rock caught a tartar today, but he ran his race and his performance was really very good. Ace Impact looks to be a lot better than Big Rock and the winner did something exceptional. With the pace we set during the race, the bar was set pretty high and I'm very happy with Big Rock's effort.”

Andreas Schutz was a degree lower on the satisfaction gauge and reflected, “I was very happy with his physical condition going into the race, but unfortunately the race didn't go as we'd planned. We thought he'd be closer to the pace. He was a little intimidated when racing amongst horses in the peloton and, when the gaps came his way, he really picked up. He's already won the race [Poule d'Essai des Poulains] we were aiming at, so this is a bonus.”

Pascal Bary feels 'TDN Rising Star' Feed The Flame is not yet the finished article and needs more time to develop. “Ace Impact was impressive, but Feed The Flame lacked a bit of maturity and race experience and he's a colt who still needs to learn,” the trainer said. “When he made his move in the straight, he quickened really well. But, when Christophe Soumillon asked him for extra, he perhaps showed us that the track was a bit too fast for him. I also think that the first and second are better than him. He'll be better on a slightly softer track and will continue to learn his trade. We'll see how he comes out of the race, but the [July 14 G1] Grand Prix de Paris is a possibility.”

Almost never satisfied in defeat, John Gosden had a positive outlook when dissecting the performance of fellow Rising Star Epitectus. “He had a good run and picked up well,” he said. “He had third place in his sights for a long time and only gave in at the very end. It was a good performance.”

Pedigree Notes
Ace Impact becomes the first Group 1 winner for his second-crop sire (by Frankel {GB}) and is the leading performer out of the Listed Berenberg Cup runner-up Absolutly Me (Fr) (Anabaa Blue {GB}). Absolutly Me has also produced Listed Grand Prix de la Riviera Cote d'Azur runner-up Alessandro (Fr) (Australia {GB}), Listed La Coupe de Marseille third Apollo Flight (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and the unraced 2-year-old cold Arrow Eagle (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}). Absolutly Me is the leading performer out of a half-sister to the stakes-winning GII Santa Barbara H. runner-up Mabadi (Sahm), herself the dam of the dual Group 3-placed Listed Prix Omnium II and Listed Criterium de l'Ouest victor Salai (Fr) (Myboycharlie {Ire}). Ace Impact's third dam Barakat (GB) (Bustino {GB}), who is from the family of MG1SW distaffer Red Bloom (GB) (Selkirk), is kin to MG1SW G1 Irish St Leger hero Ibn Bey (GB) (Mill Reef) and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Roseate Tern (GB) (Blakeney {GB}).

Sunday, Chantilly, France
QATAR PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB-G1, €1,500,000, Chantilly, 6-4, 3yo, c/f, 10 1/2fT, 2:02.63 (NSR), gd.
1–ACE IMPACT (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Cracksman (GB)
1st Dam: Absolutly Me (Fr) (SP-Fr & Ger), by Anabaa Blue (Ire)
2nd Dam: Tadawul, by Diesis (GB)
3rd Dam: Barakat (GB), by Bustino (GB)
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€75,000 Ylg '21 ARQAUG). O-Ecuries Serge Stempniak; B-Mme Waltraut Spanner (IRE); T-Jean-Claude Rouget; J-Cristian Demuro. €857,100. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, €911,100. *1/2 to Apollo Flight (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), MSP-Fr, $139,492; and Alessandro (Fr) (Australia {GB}), SP-Fr, $111,837. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Big Rock (Fr), 128, c, 3, Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire)–Hardiyna (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Yeguada Centurion SLU (FR); T-Christopher Head. €342,900.
3–Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire), 128, c, 3, Muhaarar (GB)–Danega (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O-Jaber Abdullah; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Andreas Schutz. €171,450.
Margins: 3HF, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 9.50, 1.70, 9.00.
Also Ran: Feed The Flame (GB), Epictetus (Ire), Flight Leader (GB), Padishakh (Fr), Continuous (Jpn), American Flag (Fr), Rajapour (Ire), Winter Pudding (Fr). Video, sponsored by TVG.

The post Cracksman’s Ace Impact Sweeps Aside Big Rock For Jockey Club Glory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights