Kameko upsets Ballydoyle applecart with scintillating Vertem Futurity victory

Pinatubo might not have have everything his own way next year as at Newcastle Kameko looked a real horse for the future with an impressive success in the rearranged Vertem Futurity Trophy, the first Group 1 in Britain to be held on the all-weather under lights.

The Andrew Balding-trained winner was the only non-Aidan O'Brien-trained juvenile to be declared in the original race six days ago, but we will never know whether he would have been as effective on the bog-like turf at Doncaster.

Balding said: "He was impressive but he's a very good horse who is improving all the time. I'm grateful to everyone for transferring the race here to Newcastle and I'm not certain he would have done so well in the testing ground last week.

"Things didn't go quite right for Oisin [Murphy, rider] last time at Newmarket and, although he was perhaps in front a bit sooner than we would have liked today, he quickened up in good style.

"How far will he stay? A mile and a quarter will be no problem but we'll have to wait and see whether he stays a mile and a half. If he does, there is only one place he will go. We will probably start him off in the Guineas and go from there. We can still dream."

Oisin Murphy said: "I'm delighted to have won my first domestic Group 1 for Andrew and all the team at Park House. At Newmarket when I switched him out to follow Frankie he got a bit lit up, but he relaxed brilliantly today and showed that instant acceleration which is the mark of a really good horse.

"He's by the same sire at Roaring Lion but he has a way to go to emulate him. I'm not so sure that Newmarket is his ideal track but we'll see. He got the mile well today and should certainly stay a bit further."

The winner is owned by Qatar Racing, whose racing manager David Redvers added: "He's a decent horse. His dam struggled to stay a mile so I thought that he wouldn't want any further than this, but he wasn't stopping."

Kameko, who won his maiden at Sandown in July, has proved quite a bargain for his owners as Redvers bought him for just $90,000 at the Keeneland sales last September.

Sent off a well-supported 11-2 shot in the 11-runner field, Kameko came home by three and a quarter lengths from Innisfree, who fared best of the O'Brien quintet. His rider Seamie Heffernan said: "I'm very pleased with that. He's a stayer."

Third home was another O'Brien runner, Year Of The Tiger, who finished a short head in front of stable companion Mogul.

The disappointment of the race was impressive Newmarket debut winner Kinross, who started favourite at 13-8 but never got into contention.

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