On the walk through the Bois de Boulogne to the metro on Sunday evening, it was possible to reflect on an Arc day at Longchamp that was almost as flawless as the weather.
There was a brilliant winning performance by Ace Impact in the showpiece, emphatic successes for Rosallion and Opera Singer in the two-year-old events, a first Group One of the season for the hugely popular Highfield Princess and a return to form for Blue Rose Cen, the Prix de Diane winner, in the Opera. In the circumstances, the fact that Frankie Dettori was denied, both on the track and in the stewards’ room, after narrowly failing to win on his final ride at Longchamp was easily overlooked.
Perhaps the only possible regret about the Arc itself was the thought that, given the finishing position of the Japanese-trained mare Through Seven Seas in a running-on fourth, there is an alternate universe somewhere in which it was the race of the century, with Ace Impact and Japan’s Equinox, who beat Through Seven Seas quite cozily in June, going neck-and-neck to the line.
The two horses’ respective form with the ever-dependable Westover also suggests that there would have been little to choose between them over a mile-and-a-half on decent ground. And there, of course, is the rub. Equinox’s connections had seen recent Japanese-trained challengers flounder on the sticky ground that tends to prevail at Longchamp in October, and opted to stay at home for the Japan Cup. Had they gambled, they would have been rewarded with the fastest racing surface for the Arc for several years.
Lingfield Park: 1.40 Ciara Pearl, 2.10 We’re Reunited, 2.45 Bernese, 3.15 Bulldog Drummond, 3.45 Silver Screen, 4.15 Island Native, 4.45 Starry Eyes, 5.15 Someone’s Wish, 5.45 On The Right Track
Salisbury: 1.52 Houstonn, 2.25 Hand Of God, 2.57 Qirat, 3.27 High Handed, 3.57 Solar Aclaim (nb), 4.30 Tiriac (nap), 5.02 Battista, 5.35 Sailing On
Warwick: 2.00 Little Miss Dante, 2.35 Moka De Vassy, 3.05 Hometown Boy, 3.35 Gentleman Valley, 4.05 Inch House, 4.35 Minella Rescue
Chelmsford City: 4.25 Puella Law, 4.55 Sovereign Queen, 5.30 Resonance, 6.00 Little Man, 6.30 Hildegard, 7.00 Midsummer Dance, 7.30 Agostino, 8.00 Haven Lady, 8.30 Trusty Scout
So instead of a head-to-head on the track, it will be down to the international panel of handicappers to decide whether Equinox or Ace Impact is officially anointed as the World’s Best Racehorse at the end of the year. They could, of course, end up tied on the same rating, or Equinox might improve his current mark further with an emphatic success in the Japan Cup next month. But if the question of which horse is better was ever going to be decided on the track, it pretty much had to be at Longchamp, and it was clear from a long way out that the Equinox team was not going to bite.
The chance that Ace Impact will head to Japan is virtually nil, not least because his season – and career – started way back in January. In fact, the chance that he will see a racecourse again feels like an even-money shot, at best, which is the other slight niggle for many fans after an otherwise thoroughly memorable Arc weekend.
But it is just an unfortunate fact that you need to get used to if you follow Flat racing that the brilliance of a winning performance in a championship event tends to be inversely proportional to the chance that you will ever see the horse on a track again. There comes a point when, from its owners’ point of view at least, there is more to be lost from a defeat than there is to be gained from another win, regardless of the stage or opposition.
In the case of Ace Impact, the risk-reward calculations include not only the fact that he is currently unbeaten, but also that he has very little left to prove in terms of his versatility. He is the first Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner to follow up in the Arc in the same year since the decision was taken to shorten the Classic trip at Chantilly from 12 furlongs to 10.
He has a Classic success at a mile-and-a-quarter in the book already, and an Arc against the older horses, so there would be only a marginal benefit to his overall record if he were to win a race such as the Champion Stakes at Ascot later this month. The Champions Day prize money is attractive too, of course, but still a fraction of what he will earn for his owners in his first few months at stud.
Hexham: 1.25 Greenhill Gardens, 2.00 Theirshegoes, 2.35 Hajey, 3.10 September Daisy, 3.45 General Officer, 4.20 Janeslittlevoice, 4.55 Return Fire.
Fontwell: 1.45 Hipop Des Ongrais, 2.20 King William Rufus, 2.55 Sacre Coeur, 3.30 Logistical, 4.07 Brookie, 4.40 Gambie Tiep, 5.15 Beat The Heat.
Ascot: 2.12 Kimnkate, 2.47 Scenic, 3.22 Florida (nap), 3.57 Lmay, 4.30 Sea Stone, 5.05 Redemption Time (nb).
Newcastle: 4.02 Written Broadcast, 4.35 Artisan Dancer, 5.10 Flying Fletcher, 5.45 Colourful Dream, 6.15 Eleven Eleven, 6.45 Time To Rumble, 7.15 Carbis Bay, 7.45 Qaabil, 8.15 Another Angel.
A decision to race on at four towards a tilt at a second Arc would similarly be a hugely welcome sporting gesture but not, perhaps, the one that most racing fans would reach if they were in the owners’ shoes.
So if you missed seeing Ace Impact in the flesh, your chance may well have gone for good. Arc weekend, however, will still be there next year, and while the exceptional weather certainly played its part, this felt like the moment when, post-Covid and also after its early teething troubles, the new, ultra-modern Longchamp rediscovered its status as a secular place of pilgrimage for racing fans from around the world. Ace Impact or not, it will once again be the only place to be on the first Sunday in October 2024.
