Bryan Smart has a serious sprinter on his hands in Captain Gerrard, who took the scalp of last year's July Cup winner Sakhee's Secret in the Stan James 08000 383384 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket.
The 15-2 shot was the only three-year-old in the race and flew up the rail for Tom Eaves to get the better of Hughie Morrison's 11-4 favourite by a neck.
Smart said: "We have been held up at home with the weather and I thought he was bit short (of work) for this but he battled back against the champion sprinter.
"I'm not sure if we will go for the Duke Of York now as he has so much speed.
"We might go for the King's Stand (at Royal Ascot) if there is juice in the ground."
Morrison said of Sakhee's Secret: "He was giving away a lot of weight and he is probably better at six furlongs. He'll go for the Golden Jubilee next."
Eaves was stung with a four-day ban (May 18-21) for using his whip with excessive force.
Andre Fabre and Baron Von Ullmann, who lost Manduro late last year through injury, have another exciting sort in Getaway, who ran away with the stanjamesuk.com Jockey Club Stakes.
Getaway was initially tried as a stayer but managed fourth in in last season's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and showed a sharp turn of foot when required.
Stephane Pasquier simply positioned the 7-4 favourite just off the pace and he shot away in the final furlong to win by three and half lengths.
"He is a very different type of horse to Manduro," explained Fabre. "Manduro had more speed and class, this is a typical mile-and-a-half staying type.
"He will come back to Britain for the Coronation Cup and the King George and then he'll go for the Arc again."
Last year's winner Sixties Icon kept going for second, looking to have recaptured his form of old.
The stanjamesuk.com Pretty Polly Stakes was taken a shade cosily by Saphira's Fire (7-1), who had to move wide for room.
"She had a stone bruise early in the week and we had to fiddle our way, but Martin Dwyer said he wouldn't have needed to pick up his stick before she looked at the crowd towards the end," reported handler Willie Muir.
"She's in the Coronation Stakes. I'm not saying she'll run as there's also the fillies' handicap at Royal Ascot."
Dwyer also steered home Marcus Tregoning's Finjaan (10-1), who proved half a length too good for the Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum first-string Ouqba (5-4 favourite).
Slugger O'Toole (11-1) took a tight victory in the Stan James 08000383384 Handicap, while Roger Charlton's Proponent (8-1) grabbed the stanjamesuk.com/casino Suffolk Stakes from the front-running Oceana Gold close home. He is likely to be aimed for Royal Ascot.
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