Listen and Festoso suffer 1000 Guineas setbacks
However, events have gone against some before the key prep races have even been run this year as Listen and Festoso are reported to have met with setbacks.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained former won the Fillies’ Mile last term and had been ante-post favourite for the 1000 Guineas, while the latter rounded off a good juvenile campaign when third in the Cheveley Park.
Listen was stiff before cantering on Monday and is now also a major doubt for the Juddmonte Oaks in June.
O’Brien told the Racing Post: “She will miss the 1000 Guineas and as she won’t be going to Newmarket, it is unlikely that she will make the Oaks.
“Hopefully we will have her back for the second half of the season.”
Meanwhile Harry Dunlop, trainer of Festoso, is also aiming his filly at a summer comeback.
Dunlop said: “Unfortunately she’s just had a minor hiccup and she won’t be able to run at Newmarket now.
“Hopefully we should be able to get her back for the middle of summer, it’s a bit unfortunate but it’s just one of those things.
“Otherwise, she has done fantastically well over the winter and I was absolutely delighted with her recently.
“It’s just a minor hiccup but I wouldn’t want to run her in a top-class race like that if she’s not 100% and we can hope to get her back for some of the good events later on.”
Meanwhile Mick Halford will scan the entries before deciding whether to run Deauville Vision in the Castlemartin & La Louviere Studs Gladness Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
The five-year-old chased home the well-regarded pair of Marjalina and Savethisdanceforme last month and also has an alternative option in the 10-furlong Ascon Rohcon Alleged Stakes.
Of the Gladness, Halford said: “It would be a possibility that she’d go there but it will depend on the ground and the opposition.
“I’ll also stick her in the mile-and-a-quarter Listed race as well and I’ll have a look at the two races and see.
“She came out of her race well the last day and she’s settling better now.
“I think it was a good run last time and only time will tell, but I think they were two very good fillies in front of her that day.
“I thought she ran a blinder really and we could get lucky with her in one of these races one day.
“She does handle heavy ground particularly well and she proved she was much better on it last term so she’ll stick to that again this year.”
