THE bad weather that plagued the previous weekend in Britain ensured that the weekend just gone had a bit more of interest than usual in terms of quality flat racing.

In particular, the Group 1 Vertem Futurity was rearranged to Friday night at Newcastle – the first race of that calibre to be run on an all-weather surface – and the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes to Saturday afternoon at a still rain-soaked Newmarket.