Art Connoisseur keeps Royal Ascot prize at home

LONDON (Reuters) - Art Connoisseur, trained in England by Michael Bell, fought off a powerful foreign challenge to win the Golden Jubilee Stakes, the Group One highlight of the final day of Royal Ascot on Saturday.

Ridden by Tom Queally, the 20-1 chance sprinted through on the inside in the last 150 metres and held off U.S. raider Cannonball (11-1) by a neck.

Among the winner's other victims in the six-furlong (1.2 km) showpiece, part of the Global Sprint Challenge, were South Africa's J J The Jet Plane (fourth), Hong Kong icon Sacred Kingdom (fifth) and Greek champion Ialysos (12th).

Bell told BBC TV: "I would have been more confident but a month ago he popped a splint bone and was very sore on it. He swam twice a day for a fortnight then he came back in and has been cantering for a fortnight.

"He's done three bits of work and Tom came down to ride him work when (regular jockey) Jamie Spencer got suspended.

"He worked very nicely but this is still a big surprise. I thought he was a boy against men, but he answered every call and Tom gave him a peach of a ride."

Queally, riding his first Group One winner, said: "I gave him a couple of cracks of the whip and he knuckled right down."

Australian sprinter Takeover Target, a regular at the royal meeting for the past few years, had to be pulled out of the race on Friday because of a high temperature.

The 10-year-old had contested the Golden Jubilee three times, finishing second, third and fourth.