Listen heads 74 for 1,000 Guineas Listen, ante-post favourite for the Stan James 1000 Guineas, is among an entry of 74 for the May 4th Classic. Last season´s Fillies´ Mile winner is one of 19 Irish-trained hopefuls and tops the seven put in the race by Ballydoyle maestro Aidan O´Brien. Also likely to represent the Irish challennge are Jim Bolger´s Saoirse Abu and Lush Lashes. The former struck twice at the highest level as a juvenile, while the latter ran out an impressive winner of the Goffs Fillies Million on her only start to date. Assessing the pair, Bolger said: "Saoirse Abu has wintered well and is well forward. She looks on target for the 1000 Guineas on May 4th. "The 1000 Guineas is also the target for Lush Lashes. She would have a Guineas trial beforehand, although I am not sure where that would be at the moment. "The ground will determine where we go with her as we would not want it to be too soft. Apart from that we wouldn´t mind. "She has wintered well and seems a much stronger filly this year - as you would expect." Other highly-regarded fillies handed entries are Spacious, the subject of recent ante-post support, the French-trained pair of Zarkava and Natagora, and John Gosden´s unbeaten Sense Of Joy. Of the latter, Gosden said: "She´ll be aimed to run here in the Guineas. If it suits she can run in a trial but she doesn´t have to. "When she ran first time out, she was very professional and scooted up. I don´t feel in any sense that I´ve got to get the Nell Gwyn or Fred Darling into her. "But if she is well and happy, we´ll do it. If I think she needs another week or 10 days, she´ll get it." Gosden believes Sense Of Joy is a different type of horse to his Guineas heroine of 2000. "Lahan was a big, powerful and very masculine filly. This filly is very feminine - a lot more light-framed, a daintier model," he added. Stan James 1000 Guineas, sponsors bet: 6-1 Listen, 13-2 Spacious, 8-1 Zarkava, 12-1 Natagora, 14-1 Lush Lashes, 16-1 Saoirse Abu, Laureldean Gale, Sense Of Joy, 20-1 bar.
