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By Ray Hickson

Matthew Dale regards Toretto as something of a forgotten horse in Sunday's $150,000 Newhaven Park South East Country Championships (1400m) at Moruya because of his unorthodox build up to the race.

The Goulburn trainer has had to tread carefully with his Championships hopefuls, Toretto and Devils Triangle, but says they’ve both had a solid platform to perform.

Both horses have won five races so the Goulburn trainer said after Toretto ran third in the Moruya Cup back on January 2 he decided to head straight into the Championships while Devils Triangle went to town for her lead up following her Narooma Cup win.

“After he ran well in the Moruya Cup we set a plan to have him there off what would appear to be an unusual break of nine weeks,’’ Dale said of Toretto.

“We had him deep into a prep and he’s had two jump outs in between. He looks well and fit and kept up to the mark.”

Robbie Dolan reunites with the five-year-old having been on board in his last win at Canberra in November when scoring over the 1400m.

Toretto runs third in the Moruya Cup on January 2

Dale said while Toretto, $23 with TAB on Saturday, has drawn nicely he doesn’t expect to be changing too much as far as his racing pattern goes and will be relying on the race being genuinely run to give him his best chance of qualifying for the $500,000 Final at Royal Randwick on April 1.

“There looks to be guaranteed speed in the race and from the nice draw the only negative to his chances is the 59kg but I think the race sets up for him to run a bold race,’’ he said.

“If you’ve had experience around Moruya it can only help and there’s a number of horses that have. If you can handle it there’s definitely an advantage over not being there before.

“He’ll let the speed go and just be balanced back probably midfield or worse and have to be coming late.”

Devils Triangle will likely join Toretto in the second half of the field after coming up with an awkward alley but Dale said she’ll present in good order after a close fourth at Canterbury off a two month break.

“After she won the Narooma Cup I thought we’d set her for this race as well,’’ he said.

“The Canterbury race was so she’s ready to go 1400m. She just got bottled up there and didn’t get much room until late, once she balanced up she was good to the line and strong through the line.

“But she’ll have to be ridden conservatively from that gate.”

Dale will likely have to rely on stablemate Twig getting a run in the Wild Card at Goulburn on March 17 after being stranded as second emergency.

All the fields, form and replays for Sunday's Country Championships meeting at Moruya