Animal Kingdom pleased his connections in a workout over the straight course but not before giving them a brief scare by jumping a path after the winning post. The Dubai World Cup winner, who also has a Kentucky Derby to his name, was having a dress rehearsal for the Queen Anne Stakes on day one of Royal Ascot next month, which is expected to be his final race before being retired to stud.

"He just saw the line across the wire and tried to jump," said his rider, Johnny Velazquez, who had flown in from the US the day before for the sole purpose of working Animal Kingdom. A stylish and hugely experienced jockey, Velazquez did well to stay aboard when his mount unexpectedly took to the air as they passed the point where horses emerge on to the track from under the grandstand.

"You've got to expect something, it's a new track. He's seen something that's not supposed to be there, obviously, it's going the opposite way to the grass. He tried to jump and he was going fairly fast to do that.

"I was lucky to stay on him but other than that he did everything very well. I saw him seeing something, he did give me the sign before he was going to do it, so I was kind of prepared."

Velazquez was sure that Animal Kingdom had not been spooked by a small group of people against the rail at the point where he jumped, which would have been a worrying sign with the busy Royal crowd in mind. "If it would have been the people he would have gone the other way [towards the middle of the track]," Velazquez said.

"He actually looked at the people before that, I thought that's what he saw first and then he looked again … I just didn't think he was going to do it because he looked at it and I kind of, 'Hah!', yelling at him, but he jumped right on top of it. It was a very awkward moment but thankfully nothing happened."

The jockey hopes Animal Kingdom will do no such thing at any point of the Queen Anne itself but after a short discussion between him and the horse's trainer, Graham Motion, the two men agreed the horse might wear a noseband, which they called a "shadow roll", on top of his usual blinkers.

Motion did not see the incident, as he accompanied Animal Kingdom and his galloping companion to the start of the work, riding a pony. He then hacked up Ascot's straight a long way behind the two thoroughbreds.

"Johnny told me about it," said Motion. "He just ducked from a shadow, I believe. I'm not too concerned about it. It's probably a good dress rehearsal.

"We might put a little shadow roll on him. It'd be a shame if he did that on raceday. I'm glad I didn't see it."

Explaining the reason for the exercise, Motion said: "It's not something I would normally have done but the fact that they [Ascot's management] were going to let us do it. I just thought it was really important for the horse. What we're doing with this horse is so foreign to anything he's ever done before that I think, every stone we can turn, it really helps and I think this was a big part of it.

"I'm very satisfied with how it went and Johnny seems really pleased with him. I'm really pleased that he handled the soft grass. For us, it was very soft out there today, softer than I thought it was.

"Johnny felt he handled it great. I didn't think it would be a problem, he's a horse who seems to handle everything that's thrown at him. He's bred to handle soft grass."