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, Art Connoisseur sprinted through on the inside in the last 150 meters and held off US raider Cannonball 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). Cannonball nearly made it a perfect week for trainer Wesley Ward, who became the first American to win at Royal Ascot earlier this week. The Ward-trained Strike The Tiger won the Windsor Castle Stakes on Tuesday, and Jealous Again gave him a second victory the next day in the Queen Mary Stakes. “Any time you get beat it is a tough one,” Ward said. “It is a bit like kissing your sister when you are second, but it is an honor to be placed in a race like this.” 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. Victory in the opening Chesham Stakes for two-year-olds went to outsider Big Audio, ridden by Richard Hughes for trainer Richard Hannon. It was the fourth success of the week for Hughes and drew him level with Johnny Murtagh as top rider at the five
