Stoute Ponders Imperial Rule Sir Michael Stoute will aim Imperial Stride at either the Emirates Champion Stakes or the Prix de l´Arc de Triomphe on his next start.The Indian Ridge colt impressed when running out a one-and-a-quarter-length winner of the September Stakes at Newmarket last Saturday and the Freemason Lodge handler now has his sights set on a bigger prize.That was Imperial Stride´s fourth win this season after successes at Royal Ascot at York, Newmarket and the Scottish Derby at Ayr when he beat subsequent Arlington Million winner Powerscourt.Stoute told At The Races: 'He will go for a Group One next. He´s in the Champion Stakes but I need a good chat with the owner (Saeed Suhail), who is coming to England any day now, and we will discuss the options.'The other option would be the Arc de Triomphe. They are the two races we have to consider very thoroughly and discuss the pros and cons of either one.'I think he wants good or faster ground so that would be a consideration. In other words, if we were coming into the Arc and the ground was very soft we would stay clear of it.'Although Imperial Stride will be having a first crack at Group One company for some time, he did finish a close-up sixth behind Milk It Milk in the Dewhurst Stakes two years ago.Stoute added: 'He went to the top level as a two-year-old, he won his first two starts we thought very highly of him and he was only beaten about two lengths in the Dewhurst.'Things went wrong after the Craven Stakes last year. He had an injury, he had a long time off and then just a couple of autumn races and he´s really come good again.'He was a pretty smart two-year-old, he was rated not far off the top.'Imperial Stride is a 20-1 shot with William Hill for the Arc.(C) PA SportI
