Lady Aurelia and Undrafted work at Keeneland as Royal Ascot bids loom

Lady Aurelia and Undrafted headed a six-strong string of Wesley Ward-trained Royal Ascot hopefuls working at Keeneland on Tuesday.

Queen Mary heroine Lady Aurelia, who also bagged the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville last summer, was partnered by Julio Garcia as she covered half a mile in 49.40s en route to a shot at the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes on the opening day of next month's Royal meeting.

The daughter of Scat Daddy made a winning return to action on the turf at Keeneland in a Listed contest last month and Ward declared himself happy with her first piece of work since that victory.

“Lady Aurelia worked fantastic,” said Ward. "I warned Julio with his life that I did not want to go fast and he did a great job today. For her first work back I wanted her to go as slow as she could possibly go.”

Meanwhile, veteran sprinter Undrafted, who won the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2015 and also posted a Keeneland victory in April, warmed up for a shot at the Wokingham Handicap on what will be his fourth trip to Britain with a faster piece of work.

The seven-year-old covered the four furlongs in 47.20s galloping alone, several lengths behind a pair of less familiar names who will be joining him on the trip across the Atlantic in Bound For Nowhere and juvenile Nootka Sound.

Bound For Nowhere is due to contest the Commonwealth Cup for Ward, with Nootka Sound set for the Windsor Castle Stakes after the pair clocked 48.0s over the same distance.

A pair of two-year-olds also worked on Tuesday, with the Tabor, Smith and Magnier-owned Fairyland joined by Happy Like A Fool as she covered half a mile in 48.40s.

Fairyland, also by Scat Daddy, is being aimed at the Albany Stakes, while Happy Like A Fool, owned and bred by Ward, is due to line up in the Queen Mary.