Horse Talk with Simon Jackson:

Top horse-racing tips and the latest news. 

This year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is contested on October 1 at Longchamp.

ACE Impact continues to head the betting for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe after maintaining his unbeaten record when winning a Group 2 in Deauville on Tuesday.

The son of Cracksman was having his first start since a wide-margin victory in the Prix de Jockey Club in June where he impressed after racing at the rear of the field before rapidly improving his position to win easily.

Once again the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained colt raced off the pace in the 10 furlong Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville, leading 150 metres out to score by three quarters of a length under Cristian Demuro.

The victory extended Ace Impact’s unbeaten sequence to five starts, secured on differing ground conditions and all over distances from nine-and-a-half to 10-and-a-half furlongs.

The latest success followed a 72-day absence and Rouget expressed satisfaction after the victory, while revealing the route to the Arc has yet to be decided.

“We will have to discuss his future with the partners (Gousserie Racing and Ecuries Serge Stempniak) – either he will have another race before the Arc or go straight to the big one,” Rouget said to thoroughbreddailynews.com.

“We will have less pressure on than we did today, as these races are very difficult to call beforehand. There is a lot at stake with a horse that is an undefeated, brilliant winner of the Prix du Jockey Club and who has been partly sold since.

“You don’t want to lose, you don’t know if the horse still wants to fight, if the race will be tactical, if he is ready enough knowing very well that he is not 100 per cent because that’s how I do things.

“You could see early in the race that he was keen, because he is fresh, but once the race went into a good rhythm, he relaxed.

“He showed the same acceleration and just idled a bit at the end, as he needed the race. It is a big relief for all the reasons I mentioned.”

Ace Impact is best priced at 4-1 to win this year’s Arc.

Read ‘Horse Talk with Simon Jackson’ for top horse racing tips and the latest news.