Jean-Claude Rouget happy with unbeaten Arc favourite Ace Impact ahead of Longchamp assignment

Jean-Claude Rouget is in confident mood ahead of Ace Impact's bid for glory in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday.

It has been quite the rise through the ranks for the son of Cracksman, who did not see the racecourse as a two-year-old and made his debut in the low-key surroundings of Cagnes-Sur-Mer in late January.

Another understated success at Bordeaux followed and he has since proved his class by landing a Listed race and the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly, before adding the Group Two Prix Guillaume d’Ornano to his tally at Deauville in August.

Ace Impact is the clear favourite to provide his trainer with a second Arc win following the success of Sottsass three years ago and while taking nothing for granted, Rouget feels there are no negatives.

"Why shouldn’t I be optimistic? I’m coming in with a horse that’s unbeaten," he said on Tuesday.

"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."

Following his victory at Deauville, Rouget considered running his star colt in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown the following month, while he also had the option of getting a first taste of Longchamp in the Prix Niel.

However, mindful of the fact Ace Impact had been on the go since the beginning of the year, he elected to keep his powder dry for the day that matters most.

Rouget added: "It’s very important that he stays a fresh horse because he started his season very early, which is not the usual start for a Classic horse.

"I didn’t want to run him last year in November, I wanted to wait and he then ran