On the day Haras de Beaumont launched the stallion career of Jockey Club and Arc hero Ace Impact, stud principals Pauline Chehboub and Mathieu Alex were kept busy down the road at Arqana's Deauville sales complex, acquiring a couple of well-bred mares destined for a rendezvous with their champion.

Chehboub had positive news to pass on after Ace Impact covered his first mare on Wednesday morning, having signed at €62,000 for Damkena (lot 266).

She is a Kendargent full-sister to both the useful Kenfreeze and Kendam, who not only compiled a fine race career which included finishing third in the Prix de la Foret but is also the dam of the smart Kenway. Damkena was consigned by Haras de Grandcamp and is in foal to Galiway, the sire of Kenway.

"She's from a super family and she's a fine mare who'll go to Ace Impact," said Chehboub. "It's a plus that she's in foal to Galiway and I think that, given her profile, €62,000 is a reasonable price to pay."

Ace Impact has started out at a record first-season fee in France of €40,000, having swept all before him in Europe last season. 

The Beaumont team were not conspicuous in purchasing a lot of stock on Ace Impact's behalf at the breeding sales late last year, but will certainly support him with their best mares, as well as relying on his obvious appeal to major breeders who followed his exploits when trained by Jean-Claude Rouget.

"We haven't gone out to buy a load of mares to visit him but we continue to be on the lookout for the right ones if they come up," said Chehboub. "The breeding season is now under way and he covered his first mare this morning, which was [Prix Imprudence winner] Showay. 

"Everyone is very happy with how he goes about his work and the fact he's attracted a very good book for his first season is not all that surprising."

Beaumont and Augustin-Normand fall for sister to Zagrey

Chehboub and Alex also struck for the second most expensive lot of the day, giving €60,000 for Grand Victory (lot 304), an unraced full-sister to one of Zarak's 2023 flagbearers.

Zagrey made an early impact last season when finishing third to Equinox and Westover in the Dubai Sheema Classic. Off the back of a lengthy break Zagrey once again chased home Westover in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, before making the Group 1 breakthrough in the Grosser Preis von Baden.

The pair's dam, the unraced Slickly mare Grey Anatomy, has also produced Prix Djebel runner-up Graignes – like Zagrey trained by Yann Barberot – and hails from the family of US Grade 1 winners Contredance and Skimming.

"I'm really happy because we've bought this mare in partnership with Gerard Augustin-Normand, who has been a big supporter of Haras de Beaumont from the start," said Chehboub. 

"We're very enthusiastic to get this very good mare, who is the sister of an excellent racehorse in Zagrey, one who I think can go even higher this year. She'll go to Ace Impact.

"This mare deserves to go to a champion, while he should expect to cover top-class broodmares during his first season. It's a nice story because Gerard is part-owner of Zagrey."