O'Toole commits to opening heat of returning bush series

By Jordan Gerrans

The in-form Sea Commits is poised to strike early as the Burnett to the Beach series returns this Saturday afternoon at Gayndah Jockey Club.

The Wondai-prepared mare claimed two non-TAB races through August before stepping up to TAB grade at Kilcoy and Dalby in her last two runs where she ran into the money.

The popular BTTB series will consist of six heats over the next couple of months before the rich Final at Nanango in the middle of December.

Points are awarded at each heat ahead of the decider.

The opening heat at Gayndah will be contested as a Benchmark 55 Handicap over 1200 metres.

Wondai horseman Neville O'Toole – who prepares Sea Commits – is wary the mare's rating may get a little too high to compete throughout the series if she is to win on Saturday.

Hoop Todd Banks will carry 61.5kg aboard Sea Commits in Saturday’s contest.

The 74-year-old O'Toole has tinkered with the five-year-old mare’s training regime in recent weeks to deliver her purple patch of form since the start of August.

“I have changed a few things around with her but she has been honest all the way through since I have had her,” he said.

“She has always been thereabouts and has only a couple of times finished further back than fourth.

“She is such a good doer so I had to change her work pattern and even changed her feed around a little bit – that has helped.

“She is a mare that tries really hard, which goes a long way. She is a real trier.”

Developed by the South East region race clubs, the Burnett to the Beach series is a group of races with above standard prize money.

Sea Commits likes to race up on the speed and has drawn the nine alley for Saturday.

She drew the outside gate at her last public appearance at Dalby where she battled on for third after doing plenty of work in the run.

O'Toole was more than pleased with the run when he considered the circumstances.

“She was four and five deep all the way,” he said.

“She was only beaten a length and she tried hard.”

The trainer purchased his mare online from the John Gilmore stable and she has barely run a bad race in the year or so under his watch.

O'Toole has been based at Wondai for the best part of 30 years and still rides his own trackwork for his small team of a couple of gallopers at a time.

He once prepared a team of almost 20 and trained on a full-time basis.

The veteran mentor took a break of around a decade from the industry before returning and now pokes along with one or two horses at a time.

The stable has had recent success with gallopers such as A Good Chance and Scarlet's Choice while Sea Commits is the latest flag bearer for the team.

The experienced conditioner considered taking Sea Commits to a race at Caloundra on Friday but eventually opted for the country event.

In racing seasons gone by the BTTB series started in the back end of a year and ran over the new year period into the following year.

The BTTB series that commences on Saturday wraps up in the middle of December, which O'Toole thinks is a positive.

“The series being the way it is this year is the way to go, with it being condensed,” he said.

“There will be horses in this race on Saturday that will be targeting the series.

“A few trainers I have spoken to have had this series in mind for a while.

“It is a good series as the low-rated horses get a chance to make a bit of money.

“The Final is worth good money to the winner as well for a series in the bush.”

The BTTB Final will be held at Nanango on December 14 and will be raced as a Benchmark 55 Handicap over 1200 metres with $20,000 on the line.

To be eligible to compete in the Final, horses must have competed in a minimum of one heat.

To be eligible to compete in a heat, a horse must have started in a minimum of three non-TAB races in Queensland in the 12 months immediately preceding the acceptance date for that heat specifically.

A Country Stampede qualifier will also be run at Gayndah on Saturday.