Wesley Ward effusive after seeing Lady Aurelia tune up for Royal Ascot

Ryan Moore riding Lady Aurelia returns after having a track gallop at Ascot Racecourse on June 14, 2017 in Ascot, England. Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

Wesley Ward is delighted with the nine horses he worked at Ascot on Wednesday ahead of the royal meeting that starts at the racecourse on Tuesday.

Ward worked nine of his Royal Ascot entries over just shy of five furlongs down the Ascot straight with Ryan Moore, Jamie Spencer and Pat Cosgrave in the saddles.

The key gallop was that of Lady Aurelia, last season’s impressive Queen Mary Stakes winner, who is the favourite for Tuesday’s King’s Stand Stakes.

Lady Aurelia worked under Moore and surged well clear of Bound For Nowhere, a colt who will clash with Godolphin’s Harry Angel and Blue Point in the Commonwealth Cup next Friday, and Con Te Partiro who is pencilled in for the Sandringham Handicap next Wednesday.

Moore was deputising for Frankie Dettori, who is recuperating after a fall at Yarmouth on Tuesday and who is expected to partner the lion’s share of Ward’s runners next week.

Moore was impressed, but not as effusive as the trainer. “Lady Aurelia went very well. She had a good sprint and when Ryan pushed the button she just kicked on,” Ward said.

“That was the first time Ryan had ridden her and I can’t thank him enough for coming to help us out.

“Ascot were very helpful. We worked nine horses and everything worked out beautiful.”

Lady Aurelia could face up to 20 horses but one of her main rivals, Coolmore’s Acapulco, was taken out of the 1,000-metre sprint.

Godolphin are down to just one representative in Wednesday’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes after Andre Fabre took out Cloth Of Stars from the 2000-metre contest.

Jack Hobbs will fly the royal blue standard after Cloth Of Stars failed to sparkle in his work at Chantilly.

Cloth Of Stars advertised his ability with three quick wins in the spring, which the trainer feels has taken away the lustre.

“The horse had an excellent Spring campaign and really deserved his Group 1 win. Initially he seemed to have taken it well, but I feel now that he’s already peaked and is asking for a bit of time to recover.

“He’ll be given an easy few weeks and brought back for an autumn campaign, and we’ll look to stepping him back up to 12 furlongs.”

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