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Strong Suit, champion trainer Richard Hannon's flagship older horse this year, could be set for an early-summer showdown with the mighty Frankel in Newbury's JLT Lockinge Stakes on May 19.
A two-time Group 2 winner, Strong Suit was last seen finishing down the field in the Breeders' Cup Mile and connections are keen for him to bag a top-level success even if it means taking on Frankel, officially rated the world's best Flat horse.
"The main priority with Strong Suit is to win a Group 1," Hannon's son and assistant Richard Hannon jnr said.
"He has got his Group 2s and needs to aim for the stars now, so we might have a crack at the Lockinge. It has been such a lucky race for us with the likes of Paco Boy and Canford Cliffs both winning, but this year we might have a certain Frankel standing in our way.
"However, we know that Strong Suit has so much speed and it is in the back of our minds to go back sprinting and aim at something like the July Cup at Newmarket. He travels so well in his races that you could see him swooping off a fast pace, but we will keep our options open and see which way the cards fall."
Plans are also fluid for Best Terms, who pleased jockey Richard Hughes with a decent workout on Tuesday morning.
Beaten only once in five starts, she is a general 25-1 chance for the Qipco 1,000 Guineas on May 6 and could run in the Dubai Duty Free Stakes(registered as the Fred Darling) en route to the Newmarket Classic.
"That was the first piece of fast work that Best Terms has done this year and we could not have been happier," Hannon jnr added on his father's website.
Hannon jnr also had news of his father, who had vascular surgery on Monday.
"It was not that dad felt unwell, but the specialist took the view that his aorta needed an MOT," said Hannon jnr, who expects the trainer to leave hospital next week.
"They have told us that the repair work has gone fine and that he is recovering well from the operation. We have just been to see him and he immediately wanted an update on who did what on the gallops, so he is clearly going the right way."
