Beaumont has Ace in the Hole in a Stellar French Intake

The stallion business, just like many other aspects of life in the racing world, is a cyclical one. Riding the high waves is easy, but arguably of most importance is to keep paddling away below the water line when things are a little flat.

Keen observers of the French scene will detect a swell on the horizon. Following the untimely demise of Le Havre (Ire) and the sale to Coolmore of Wootton Bassett (GB), Siyouni (Fr) has been almost a lone head bobbing along in the elite waters, but the pool of talent is swiftly being refilled. A strong intake of stallions in France this year has an obvious leading player in the unbeaten Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact (Ire), whose light shone brightly, if a little too briefly for some, during the summer of 2023.

The son of Cracksman (GB) has joined Haras de Beaumont, which, in less than two years of existence, is already home to the busiest French stallion of the year in Sealiway (Fr). That dual Group 1 winner will now have to make room for Ace Impact as he embarks on his new career as the most expensive first-season sire in the country for 2024 at a fee of €40,000.

Mathieu Alex runs Haras de Beaumont for Kamel Chehboub, who bought a 50% share in Ace Impact from Serge Stempniak midway through the season, and whose daughter Pauline is also heavily involved with the stud and the family's horses in training, who compete under the name of Gousserie Racing. 

“Serge Stempniak, who previously owned 100%, made it very clear when we approached him that he would like the horse to stand in France,” Alex explains. “Obviously Kamel and his family were very ambitious from day one. With Haras de Beaumont the idea was to try to have the best possible stallion prospects.”

Plenty of breeders have already had the chance to inspect Ace Impact during the week of the Breeding Stock Sale at Arqana, just 10 minutes down the road from Beaumont, which sits on part of the estate of the storied Haras du Quesnay. It is a safe bet that the stud will also be inundated with visitors during La Route des Etalons on the weekend of January 20 and 21.

“Haras de Beaumont was created last year, summer 2022, really. And when we had our first discussion with Kamel about this project, it was always very clear for him that standing stallions was an important part of the movement,” says Alex. 

“Obviously it started with Sealiway. He and his family were the owners of Sealiway, a top-class performer, so it was a nice introduction, you know, to be able to stand a horse like Sealiway. But we never could have thought that a year or two in we'd be standing on a horse like Ace Impact. It's great for the team. It's great for me. It's great for France.”

He continues, “I think his acceleration is probably what everyone is talking about. And the fact that he's unbeaten is a big deal. His trainer did a wonderful job in the way he spaced time between the races and targeted the best races he could. He was extremely impressive in the French Derby because he was so far back, yet very relaxed. And when you think that he was probably ten lengths behind Big Rock at the end of the straight and won by two and a half lengths beating that Group 1 winner, it's extraordinary.”

It is easy to forget that Ace Impact was still unraced at this time last year. Between the end of January and the beginning of October, he ran six times in a faultless progression from maiden to champion. Shortly after the horse's retirement, his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget told TDN why he had chosen to start the horse off at Cagnes-sur-Mer in January. 

“I prefer to give [my horses] experience and, to me, Cagnes-sur-Mer is a very good track,” he said. “I used to send 30 or 40 horses every winter. I did the same with Raabihah. She should have won the Diane for me. She was a close fourth, and after [Cagnes] she won [a Listed race] in Longchamp. I consider running in January to be the same as running in November. I don't push my horses to start. First time out I want there to be no risk.”

With Frankel's son Onesto (Ire) retiring to Haras d'Etreham for the coming season, Ace Impact extends that line again to the next generation and also increases the amount of Galileo blood available at Beaumont. Alongside Galileo's grandson Sealiway, there is also the dependable Intello (Ger), a son of Galileo whose season has been lifted by his dual Group 1-winning son Junko (GB).

 

Ace Impact's dam Absolutly Me (Fr) is a daughter of another Prix du Jockey Club winner in Anabaa Blue (GB), which brings in some inbreeding to the influential mare Allegretta (GB), whose daughters Urban Sea and Allez les Trois appear on opposite sides of Ace Impact's pedigree as the dams of Galileo and Anabaa Blue respectively. 

“Ace Impact is obviously from the Frankel line and his dam has produced five runners, five winners, and three black-type horses, including a champion. She's a good mare. And it's a nice combination between speed–Cracksman's dam is by Pivotal–and obviously stamina,” says Alex.

“Because he never raced outside France, we've had a lot of people coming to see him–Americans, Japanese, obviously [breeders from] Europe, England, Ireland, Germany, France. You know, it's very exciting. They all come with the excitement of coming to see a champion, and to see him physically is very important. He's going down very well.”

As Pauline Chehboub greeted those breeders through early December, she was able to bring them into the stud office for refreshments alongside the imposing trophy presented for the horse's final race, which is a replica of the Arc de Triomphe itself.

She casts her mind back to that day at Lonchamp in October. “The preparation was so good. Jean-Claude Rouget was so happy with him, so there was no pressure until the week of the race,” she says. “It was crazy to have the Arc favourite, an unbeaten three-year-old. So it was a memorable day, maybe [the most memorable] in our life.”

Chehboub continues, “It's special that we're just a new stud, a new project; and to have a champion like that, just one year after the beginning is incredible. And we are very happy with Sealiway, too, because he was the most popular stallion in France this season, for his first season.”

But this year, it's the Cartier champion three-year-old colt that people are flocking to see. She adds of Ace Impact, “Everybody wants to see him, to touch him. He's not a legend, but he will be, I hope so. He's special and it means a lot to us.”

 

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Ace Impact Retired to Haras de Beaumont

Ace Impact (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}), the brilliant winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Prix du Jockey Club, will not race on and is set to take up stud duties at his part-owner Kamel Chehboub's Haras de Beaumont from 2024.

Speaking to TDN at Tattersalls, Chehboub said, “When we established Haras de Beaumont the idea was to target exceptional future stallions prospects. Ace Impact has won the French Derby, he's won the Arc, he's unbeaten. As we all know, to race on for another year is taking a risk for the horse, and a lot of breeders want to use him. He's a true champion; there is a demand for him. For France it is fantastic news, and from day one that was part of the project.”

Bred by Waltraut Spanner, Ace Impact was bought by his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget on behalf of owner Serge Stempniak for €75,000 at the Arqana August Sale. A member of the first crop of Cracksman, he is out of the winning miler Absolutly Me (Fr) (Anabaa Blue {GB}) who had already produced the Listed-placed multiple winners Alessandro (Fr) and Apollo Flight (Fr). He hails from the same family as Lord Derby's seven-time Group 1 and dual Classic winner Ouija Board (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who went on to produce the Derby winner Australia (GB).

Ace Impact started racing in January of this year at Cagnes-sur-Mer, where he made a winning debut over 10 furlongs before progressing through a conditions race in Bordeaux to the Listed Prix de Suresnes at Chantilly. There, on his next start, he handed out a sound beating to the favourite Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) in the Prix du Jockey Club. His Classic victory, completed in record time, was extraordinary not just for the winning margin of three and a half lengths but for his acceleration from the back of the 11-strong field to take charge in the final 400 metres with a devastating turn of foot.

Cristian Demuro, who rode Ace Impact in five of his six starts, said, “He's a horse from another planet. You only come across horses of this calibre every ten years. To win an Arc as a three-year-old, in which his powers of acceleration shone to the fore, while retaining his unbeaten record, is extraordinary.”

He won the Jockey Club in the colours of Stempniak and, following his part-sale, Ace Impact raced thereafter in the green-and-yellow silks of the Chehboub family's Gousserie Racing. These same colours were carried by by the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Champion S winner Sealiway (Fr), who, earlier this year became an important new sire at Beaumont, France's newest stallion operation. 

Following Ace Impact's wins in the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville in August, and ultimately the Arc, there was speculation that, even if retired this year, he could see out his career with a trip to the Japan Cup for a showdown with Japanese superstar Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}).

Chehboub said, “We had a discussion with our partner and we felt that to go to Japan was a very long journey for him, although we'd have loved to take on Equinox. But he has delivered everything we have asked of him. We are obviously very proud to have him, and to retire him to our farm. It's a very exciting next step.”

Stempniak added, “Ace Impact is the horse of my lifetime. It's been an extraordinary experience.

“The colt's ability to quicken has made quite an impression on me, and I think it has made an impression on everyone. It invited comparisons with Dancing Brave's Arc.

“I hope he will become a great stallion, and [I know] we can count on the professionalism of the whole team at Haras de Beaumont when it comes to managing his new career.”

Haras de Beaumont manager Mathieu Alex was at Tattersalls with Cheboub during the week. He said, “Over this week in Newmarket we have met many people who are keen to use him. That's great to hear; he's a very important horse for France.”

He added, Welcoming an athlete of Ace Impact's calibre to Haras de Beaumont is an extraordinary privilege. Now rated 133 by Timeform, he is the world champion three-year-old. His performances in the Prix du Jockey Club and the Arc de Triomphe were truly amazing and the way he can quicken makes him very special.

“We are very proud to be standing this champion in France and would like to take this opportunity to thank again Serge Stempniak to have allow us to partner in this horse and Jean-Claude Rouget for his success with this champion.”

 

 

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Haras de Beaumont Buys Into Classic Hero Ace Impact 

The Prix du Jockey Club winner Ace Impact (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}), who is currently the top-rated three-year-old in Europe, is to continue his racing career for a partnership which consists of his original owner Serge Stempniak and the Chehboub family. Upon his eventual retirement, he will stand at the Chehboub-owned Haras de Beaumont, close to Deauville.

Unbeaten in four starts to date, Ace Impact set a new race record in winning his Classic for Stempniak and trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. From the first crop of Cracksman, who was one of the earliest stars for his sire Frankel (GB), he was bred by Waltraut Spanner. Unsurprisingly, there has been interest in the exciting young colt from stallion farms around Europe.

“I was very keen for Ace Impact to remain in France for his future stallion career,” said Stempniak. ” It was also very important for me to engage in a French partnership. I had a lot of offers from abroad. However, I thought that this was a shame because the horse certainly has a great career ahead of him in the breeding shed in France. I'm very happy to enter into a partnership with the Chehboub family whom I met a short while ago. We hit it off straight away. They are people with great human values. I have retained a 50 per cent stake in Ace Impact, and the terms of our agreement stipulate that the horse will carry the colours of both concerns on an alternate race basis.  My last condition was that Ace Impact's Arc bid should be in my colours.”

Pauline Chehboub owns Haras de Beaumont with her father Kamel, traditionally racing their horses under the banner of La Gousserie. The stud, which is on part of the land formerly used by the historic Haras du Quesnay, was officially launched in December and is already home to the stallions Sealiway (Fr), who covered 160 mares in his first season this spring, and Intello (Ger), who was sent 130 mares.

She said, “Ace Impact is the best Classic winner of his generation in Europe, and his rating ranks him among the top five horses in the world. Ace Impact represents an exceptional opportunity for French breeders. We're really of the same mindset as Serge Stempniak, as letting him go abroad would have been a huge loss. He's also a very attractive type. With the help of Mathieu Alex, who is a key lynchpin in the success of Haras de Beaumont, we are fortunate to have enjoyed a successful first breeding season.”

Jean-Claude Rouget signed for Ace Impact as a yearling at Arqana for €75,000. He has indicated that his ultimate aim this season is the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, with the colt likely to be seen next in Deauville in the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. After that, Ace Impact could head either to Longchamp for the G2 Prix Niel, or to Leopardstown to contest the G1 Irish Champion S.

The trainer said, “This is a very good indicator for French racing and breeding. Kamel Chehboub has made a major statement by purchasing a 50 per cent stake in Ace Impact, and with the aim of standing him as a stallion at his Normandy stud when his racing career ends. Serge Stempniak, having acquired the colt as a yearling at the Deauville sales, will retain 50 per cent in the colt, at least until the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in which we hope to run.”

Haras de Beaumont manager Mathieu Alex, who played a key role in the stallion career of another Prix du Jockey Club winner, Le Havre (Ire), added, “The stallion business is extremely competitive, so securing a high-class horse like Ace Impact is fantastic news for Haras de Beaumont and for France. Unbeaten, Ace Impact is the fastest Prix du Jockey Club winner and his rating of 123 makes him the best three-year-old in the world today. He's got a great mind and his turn of foot is exceptional. In the care of one of the best European trainers, Jean-Claude Rouget, his future is exciting.”

 

 

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Sealiway the Centrepiece at Brand New Beaumont

It is unquestionable that the cessation of the Head family's operation at Haras du Quesnay is a sad development for French breeding but there is at least one phoenix to rise from those ashes in the launch of the Chehboub family's Haras de Beaumont. Set on 100 acres of land formerly owned by Alec and Ghislaine Head on the Quesnay estate, and just across the road from the chateau, the new operation's proximity to Deauville is one major draw, as is the retirement to the French stallion ranks of the dual Group 1 winner Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), who carried the Chehboubs' green-and-yellow silks of their Haras de la Gousserie with distinction in France and England. 

Kamel Chehboub and his daughter Pauline, who plays a key role in the family's racing and breeding interests, campaigned Sealiway in partnership with his breeder Guy Pariente having bought him as a yearling at the Arqana August Sale in 2019. His subsequent rise to Group 1 star is very much a feather in the cap of Pariente's Haras de Colleville, as not only is Sealiway from the first crop of resident stallion Galiway, a son of Galileo (Ire), but his dam Kensea (Fr) was also bred there and is by the stallion that made the farm's name, Kendargent (Fr). Step back one more generation in the pedigree of Sealiway and we find that his second dam Sea Island (Fr), bought inexpensively by Pariente as a yearling, is by the former Quesnay resident Gold Away (Ire). What goes around, comes around. 

The success of this horse on the racecourse has in no small way driven the Chehboubs' desire to make a major impact on the French scene by launching their own stallion operation. Sealiway has been joined at Haras de Beaumont by the 12-year-old Intello (Ger), whose stud career thus far has been split between Quesnay and Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket, and the George Strawbridge-bred Stunning Spirit (GB), a Group 3-winning miler by Invincible Spirit (Ire) in the same colours as Sealiway who started his stud career at Haras de Hoguenet and has his first foals on the ground this year. It is plain, however, that this new venture very much centres on one horse.

“Sealiway, It starts with him,” says Pauline Chehboub. “We have a horse like him, a champion, and we wanted to do the best for him. We are very proud to offer Sealiway in France. He won the Champion Stakes in the UK and he was the best two-year-old in France.”

The Chehboubs are certainly not newcomers to the racing scene. Hailing from Marseille, Kamel and his brother Bouzid raced the 2008 GI Arlington Million winner Spirit One (Fr) (Anabaa Blue {GB}) who spent some years at stud in France. They already own Haras de la Gousserie in the Loire region, and they also enjoyed a major victory on Arc weekend last year when Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}) won the G1 Prix de l'Opera. She was subsequently sold for €3 million to Peter Brant and Michael Tabor and went on to win this season's GI EP Taylor S. for Chad Brown.

Running a commercial stallion operation is a new direction, however, and the family has played a masterstroke in appointing Mathieu and Emilie Alex to run Haras de Beaumont. Mathieu Alex, who cut his teeth in the business with a lengthy stint at Coolmore, was a key player in the success of Haras de la Cauviniere, later Montfort et Preaux, and its flagship stallion Le Havre (Ire), who died earlier this year. 

Pauline Chehboub adds, “We are very happy to establish this new project in France and to do that with family and with a good team like Mathieu and Emilie. That's super exciting.”

Alex is all too aware of the commercial imperatives key to launching a new stallion when he says, “It's clear [Sealiway had] quite an extraordinary racing career because he won his first race as a two-year-old in May over six furlongs. He had the speed to win over six. He won the Champion Stakes over ten. He was second only to St Mark's Basilica in the French Derby, which is a great stallion-making race. He was a champion two-year-old in France.

“It's the interesting part about him. Because he raced at two, three and four people forget, but he was extremely good as a two-year-old and had a lot of precocity, and there is a lot of precocity in his pedigree. And that's one of the targets with him, to try to target that two-year-old market as well.”

Sealiway, who had only arrived at Haras de Beaumont three days in advance of TDN's visit in early December, is certainly playing his part well so far. A relaxed individual who appears to enjoy posing for the camera, he is an easy-moving horse who will surely draw admirers as visitors descend on the new stud through the early months of 2023 and for the Route des Etalons on January 21 and 22.

“Sealiway is obviously a very important horse for for the this new operation and this farm,” Alex continues. “The owners want to support the horse. It's so important not only to send good mares to the horse, but also to raise [the offspring] properly and send them to good trainers. It doesn't always work, but this is the formula we like to follow.”

Alex acknowledges that the former inhabitants of the land now known as Haras de Beaumont set a formidable example to follow.

He says, “It's part of the Quesnay, which has been extremely successful. It's going to be very difficult to do as well as the Head family but we'll try hard for sure. And we are very fortunate to have this land. A lot of champions have been bred here. Treve has been raised here. So, you know, it's a dream for us, but we work hard for it. This location as well, when you're standing stallions, we are 10 minutes away from Deauville, so when people are at the sales, they can give us a call, we have a shuttle, they come here, they'll see the horses, and they can be back in town 10 minutes later.”

Sealiway is of course not alone in the new stallion barn. His fellow Galileo-line sire Intello is rising 13 and has the Group/Grade 1 winners Intellogent (Ire) and Adhamo (Ire) to his credit. Stunning Spirit, meanwhile, hails from the Strawbridge family that produced Group 1 winner Rainbow View (Dynaformer), a sister to his dam. 

“Intello has got an extraordinary ratio of stakes horses, 11% stakes performers to runners, which is huge,” Alex notes. “And he's a very well-bred, good-looking horse. He was a French Derby winner, and he's a proven sire at a very reasonable fee, so we are very happy to have him, and we are also going to stand Stunning Spirit, who is a group winner by Invincible Spirit and his dam is a full-sister to Group 1 winner.”

As outlined by Alex, the Chehboub family plans to support Sealiway with a number of mares from their own broodmare band as well as some recent purchases, including Key Success (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the dam of black-type earners Axdavali (Fr) (Goken {Fr}) and Axdaliva (Fr) (Elusive City), bought at Arqana last weekend.

Pauline Chehboub says, “We bought three mares at Goffs especially for him: one by Dubawi, one by Acclamation in foal to Sea The Stars, and another Group 1-placed [mare], so we'll send maybe 25 or 30 mares to him this year.”

Pauline will have her work cut out as she oversees the family's stable in Chantilly, which is the base of trainer Ludovic Rovisse. Their 55 horses in training are also spread between a number of trainers including Jean-Claude Rouget, Francis-Henri Graffard, Yann Barberot and Didier Guillemin.

“I have a lot of trainers to follow and we have maybe 25 two-year-olds, so it is very busy,” she says. “But I love the breeding, it is my passion, so I will help Mathieu and Emilie and spend time in Deauville and Chantilly.”

She adds of Sealiway's recent retirement from the Graffard yard, “It was a special moment when he left the stable at Chantilly for the last time because there was a lot of sentiment for this horse. He has been different class from the beginning, since my father saw him as a yearling. He's a good mover, he could do short distances and Classic distances so, for me, he had everything.”

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