Turbo has it to do: Swinbank

Alan Swinbank admits fairytale filly Turbo Linn faces an uphill task when she bids to extend her unbeaten run to nine in the Goffs/DBS Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster tomorrow.

The four-year-old has been one of the major success stories of this season, graduating from a Carlisle bumper to win the Group Two Lancashire Oaks at Newmarket.

Swinbank sticks to that same level on Town Moor, but is well aware of the quality in the 14-strong field and the fact his star has to give 15lb to the likes of dual Oaks-placed All My Loving as well as old rival Brisk Breeze and the unexposed Synopsis.

“She is very, very well but she will need to be as it looks a really tough race,” he said.

“No Group Two is easy, but this looks a very good renewal and we have to give weight away to them all.”

Turbo Linn won five bumpers over the winter, culminating in a Listed event at Aintree, before Swinbank switched her sights to the Flat scene.

She duly romped home at Catterick before scoring her Group Two victory and a further Listed success at Newmarket.

The Turbo Speed filly has enjoyed a break since that win and Swinbank is hoping her time off the track will yield the necessary improvement.

“We’ve given her a bit of a break and it’s done her good – she’s put on seven kilos of muscle, not fat,” he explained.

“She’s in good heart and we would be hoping to get some cash by making it into the first three. The ground will be fine for her as she’s very versatile and she has won on heavy as well as firm ground.

“She’s certainly got some good form and she has beaten some of these before, but she has to give more weight to the likes of Brisk Breeze this time.”

Swinbank believes he has already identified Turbo Linn’s main rival and is wary of the threat posed by the Andre Fabre-trained Synopsis.

He added: “I think the French filly at the bottom looks a major danger as she’s getting a lot of weight from us.”

Ralph Beckett’s Kayah will be having her first start for 104 days.

The filly won Lingfield’s Oaks Trial on her first start this term but she subsequently disappointed in the main event at Epsom and has been off the track since.

Beckett explained: “She went home for a month and has come back into training. We’re guessing with the ground as two of her wins have come on ground with a bit of give in it.

“Thursday’s race looks like the right option as I didn’t want to go down the handicap route.”