Trainer Andre Fabre left the door open for an audacious bid at the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe next month with Persian King after the colt landed the Group One Prix du Moulin by a length from Pinatubo.
Fabre, the most successful trainer in Arc history with eight wins including last year with Waldgeist, would be asking Persian King to step up to a mile and a half from Sunday's race distance of a mile if Persian King pitches up against Enable and Love in the Arc on October 4.
Fabre said: 'I don't think it was because of strategy - the best horse on the day won. We have different options, one is the Champion Stakes at Ascot and another is the Arc. I think he can step back up in distance and we will see closer to the time which way we go.'
Trainer Andre Fabre left the door open for an audacious bid at the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe next month with Persian King
Ladbrokes make Persian King a 20-1 shot for the Arc.
Persian King has always been a top performer. Winner of last year's French 2,000 Guineas and runner-up to Sottsass in the French Derby, the son of Kingman has won eight of his 12 races and the only time he has finished outside the first two was when fourth to John Gosden's Palace Pier in last month's Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville.
Second place for Charlie Appleby-trained Pinatubo in Sunday's race was very frustrating
Second place for Charlie Appleby-trained Pinatubo on Sunday was frustrating, not least for jockey James Doyle who must now enter quarantine and miss this week's St Leger meeting at Doncaster.
Doyle was keen to be patient on a horse who has never won over as far as a mile but the way the race panned out, Pierre-Charles Boudot on Persian King had poached too much of an advantage for Pinatubo who flew home in the final furlong without suggesting he was an unlucky loser.
Jockey James Doyle must now enter quarantine and will miss this week's St Leger meeting
Pinatubo, last season's outstanding two-year-old, has now run four sound races this season, being placed in four group one races over a mile with a sole win over seven furlongs in the Group One Prix Jean Prat.
Third on Sunday was Aidan O'Brien-trained Circus Maximus with Ger Lyons-trained Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Siskin fourth.
