What do you do for an encore? It's a frequently-asked question when an era draws to a close - as it did for James Fanshawe on Soviet Song's retirement 18 months ago. Every trainer needs a “breakthrough” horse, and Fanshawe had his in the mare who won five group one races. There usually follows a period of readjustment, which Fanshawe knew was coming, yet he still uncovered a possible replacement towards the end of last season.

That was when Spacious charged through from the rear to land the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster. There was no mistaking her claim to be considered among the best of her sex at two. For Fanshawe, however, now is the time to bring those dreams to fruition.

He must deliver Spacious at her peak in the Stan James 1,000 Guineas, for which she is second favourite behind Listen. And it must be said that the unbeaten daughter of Nayef has some way to go. She was certainly the most wintry of 20 horses the Newmarket trainer paraded in Newmarket yesterday.

“It was very mild three weeks ago,” Fanshawe said. “The coats were falling out of the horses but then the cold weather arrived. We still have to get them fit, so it's a balancing act, but there's plenty of time for Spacious. There are still four weeks to the trials and I would like to take one in.”

There is certainly no sense of panic within Pegasus Stables, the historic yard that houses slightly more than half of Fanshawe's 95 horses. A beautiful Victorian construction, the place was built by Fred Archer in 1884 on the advice of Lord Falmouth, who told the jockey to invest his money in bricks and mortar.

Fanshawe is doing likewise in extensively renovating the property. He now needs a horse to pay the bills. And there's no masking his aspirations for Spacious, whose career path was determined soon after she broke her maiden in August. It would be the May Hill, followed by a winter's rest.

The move has paid dividends. As Jamie Spencer, who rides the filly, noted: “She is quite different. Last year she was lean and angular, now she has filled out and looks the part.”

Spacious should stay beyond a mile but Fanshawe is adamant she has ample speed for Newmarket. “The main thing is to get her switched off but everything has to go right,” he said. “Five years ago we had Soviet Song ready but a bout of flu swept through Newmarket, and it cost her.”

Should Spacious falter, Fanshawe has a 2,000 Guineas candidate in Sir Gerry, the Gimcrack Stakes winner, who looks a picture of health. Conversely, the question with the son of Carson City is whether he will stay the mile. Some judges dismiss the doubt, yet tellingly, Spencer kept his counsel.

By winning group races, Spacious and Sir Gerry kept Fanshawe's name up in lights last season. But he knows that another step forward is required this year for the big-spending owners he attracted to sit comfortably. His three-year-olds significantly outnumber his two-year-olds, yet he cannot bemoan their quality.

Results are paramount, since he has also rented nearby La Grange Stables, from where the late Dick Hern trained Major Lionel Holliday's horses in the early 1950s. The whole set-up is geared to see Fanshawe vault from promising trainer to a place among the elite.

A first domestic classic would go some way towards it, yet Fanshawe is anxious to downplay its importance. “In this game now,” he said, “you are only as good as your last winner. We judge ourselves by our group winners but obviously we'd love to have a classic winner - especially a home one at Newmarket.”

Fanshawe is also among the new wave of trainers to recognise the value of a vibrant, news-orientated website, which he has just relaunched. It features the return of a clever sobriquet he adopted ten years ago to help recruit owners.

“The Skeleton is back - and he's still hungry for winners,” Fanshawe, whose own skeletal appearance inspired the caricature he used in a series of advertisements, said. It's a nice touch, and one that illustrates a penchant for self-parody that is all too rare in the Newmarket fraternity.

Fanshawe was speaking in the newly-constructed annexe to his home at Pegasus Stables. Soviet Song memorabilia abounds, which is hardly surprising. “We call this the Soviet Song wing because she paid for it,” Fanshawe said. “We must find another one like her before we can build again.”