Ian Heitman sees another nice bunch perform – at Newcastle

The Group 1 Vertem Futurity Stakes attracted 12 runners at the five-day entry stage with Aidan O’Brien responsible for 11 and Andrew Balding the other. Come declaration time, 48 hours before the race, that number was whittled down to five for O’Brien with Balding leaving his sole entry in the race.
With this race falling to the weather, it was rescheduled and held at Newcastle on November 1, the first time a Group 1 race had been run on the allweather.
As well as the original entries, the race was re-...