Andrew Balding’s fine start to the new flat turf season continued as Almeric made a taking impression in the bet365 Feilden Stakes at Newmarket on Tuesday.

Fresh from a four-timer at Newbury on Saturday, the Kingsclere handler wasted little time making his mark in racing’s heartland with this listed success.

Sent off the 11/4 favourite, Oisin Murphy's mount was always travelling well as he tracked the pace set by the Tom Marquand-ridden Green Storm and as the petrol tank began to flicker for Charlie Johnston’s front-runner, it was Almeric and Richard Hannon’s King Of Cities who were in prime position to take charge.

That duo pulled clear of the remainder in the closing stages, and after a tussle to the winning post, it was the son of Study Of Man who pulled out the required extra to be in command by a length at the line.

There was a stewards’ inquiry into the late battle but the placings remained unaltered, while Nightwalker galloped on to finish third on his first start for John and Thady Gosden.

Balding said: “He’s a smart horse and we were pretty hopeful going into today. He seems to be at home on slow ground and it’s great for Miss Rausing as he’s obviously a homebred and a lovely horse going forward.

“Oisin said he was just getting tired at the end as they went very hard and he was probably running on fumes a little bit, just because it was a searching gallop and it was his first run of the year.

“He’s got a French Derby entry I think and certainly an Irish Derby entry and a German Derby entry. We’re delighted to win today and we’ll just have to see how things pan out.

“I think the likelihood is we’ll look at York (Dante) and France would be the preferred option, I think.”

Bred and owned by Kirsten Rausing, Almeric is by Study Of Man (by Deep Impact) out of the Selkirk mare, Alvarita. He is bred to get middle distances.

Zanzoun another star for Juddmonte

Zanzoun put herself in the classic equation with a stylish display in the Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the daughter of Dubawi finished behind some smart rivals on her first two outings before breaking her duck impressively at Southwell in November.

Owned by Juddmonte, she was sent off at 9/1 for this renowned Group 3 and was ridden confidently in the early stages by Kieran Shoemark.

As the race developed, Zanzoun moved effortlessly to the head of affairs before galloping on powerfully to register a taking one-and-three-quarter-length success over Ollie Sangster’s Celestial Orbit, another to finish strongly from off the pace.

Andrew Balding’s Remaat claimed third, but Charlie Appleby’s 15/8 favourite Verse Of Love was among those to finish well held further down the field.

John Gosden said: “I think she’d be fine on good ground, she just wouldn’t want it rattling firm.

“She handled the ground today, she’s a nice filly who has not been over-raced and she’s trained well this spring.

“She could do that (French Guineas), that could well be the case. I’ll talk to the family and see what they want to do. There is a very good Aga Khan filly we saw the other day in the Prix de la Grotte (Zarigana), but it’s lovely to win here and we’ve got nice plans to make.

“If the filly that won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile here turns up (at Newmarket, Desert Flower) and she’s in top order, then I’d be very happy to be in France a week later rather than here!”

By Dubawi, Zanaoun is a homebred first foal out of the Frankel mare, Franconia, who was a listed winner over 10 furlongs.

Barry Mahon, European racing manager for Juddmonte, said: “She’s a filly we thought a lot of last year, so it’s not entirely a surprise and it’s a good result.

“She’s not in the (English) Guineas, but she is in the French Guineas, so we’ll speak to the trainer and the owner and see what they’d like to do.

“Red Letter is still a possible for the Guineas here. She’s got a few more bits of work to do, but she’s still on the list and we’ll firm it up in the next week I’d say.”

Sangster said of Celestial Orbit: “She quickened off a quickening pace, which is always nice, and Jamie (Spencer) said she’d have no problem getting a mile. The key to her is some ease in the ground, so that will dictate our next move quite strongly.

“She’s in the Guineas here, whether she warrants coming for that, we’ll see what the weather does and how she is in the next few weeks, but she’s going to take a good step forward from that.

“We were conscious of that coming into it and if someone had offered me second beforehand, I’d have taken it, as I felt I’d left plenty of meat on the bones to work with for the rest of the year.

“She’s in the French Guineas as well, so that’s an option. As I say, her next race will be dictated by the ground and how she’s doing as she’d been off the track for a while and I’d say she’s had a hard enough race there.”

Of his other potential 1000 Guineas contenders, he added: “Flight is still in the mix after a nice, smooth bit of work here before racing. Oisin (Murphy) felt she was in a good place.

“We didn’t need to see fireworks but we were happy with what we saw and we feel like she’s not a 50/1 shot, so it would be nice to line up here and see if we can get a piece of the pie.

“I think we’ve just got to put a line through the Fred Darling the other day with Simmering. I’d say there’s half a dozen other trainers doing that as it was kind of a weird result and I wouldn’t have expected her to finish where she finished, but that’s fine, she’s come out of it well and her work has always tied in with this filly (Celestial Orbit) if not better.”

Persica earns Group 1 entries

Persica was a convincing winner of the bet365 Earl of Sefton Stakes, setting up a possible Lockinge Stakes bid.

Richard Hannon’s 3/1 chance was ridden by Ryan Moore in a small field for the Group 3, which featured two horses from Charlie Appleby’s yard and two from James Owen’s.

The globetrotting Ottoman Fleet and last year’s Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly were the 2/1 joint-favourites, with the latter making the running after his stablemate Lavender Hill Mob failed to keep pace with him in the early stages.

But it was Persica who took up the lead with two furlongs remaining and was eventually an easy victor, with two and a half lengths in hand of the Appleby-trained Ottoman Fleet.

Hannon said: “He’s a very good horse with a high cruising speed. We wanted to take him to Saudi but that didn’t work out, so we stayed for the mile and three Winter Derby and he got there very well and didn’t get the trip.

“If it turns up soft ground, I wouldn’t mind taking a chance with him (in the Lockinge). A fast-run race would suit him perfectly.

“He is improving and there’s been a lot of interest to buy him, but these horses are hard to make and take a long time to make.

“It was very soft ground when he ran in the Champion Stakes last year and a mile and a quarter on that ground just stretches him at the very top level, but I’ve no doubt he’ll get to the top level.”

A four-year-old by New Bay out of an Australian-bred daughter of Lope De Vega, the Irish-bred Persica was a £200,000 Goffs UK Premier Yearling.

Of his other Lockinge contenders, Rosallion and Haatem, the trainer added: “Rosallion is on course for the Lockinge, but he won’t go anywhere when the ground is soft. I’m very happy with the way he looks and the way he’s working.

“Haatem is working very well and he goes for the Group 2 at Sandown (bet365 Mile) and Unquestionable will go to Ascot for the Paradise Stakes and might well end up in the Lockinge as well.

“Unfortunately they might all meet in the Queen Anne, which is a terrible thing isn’t it!

“We’ve got a lot of nice horses and we’re very hopeful for the year ahead.”