Tomorrow is the start of the Flat turf season - or is it? All the races at Lingfield's curtain-raising fixture are being staged on the all-weather track, so runners will not even see a blade of grass.

Normally, Doncaster kicks off the Flat action with a three-day programme, highlighted by Saturday's Lincoln Handicap. But this year, with Doncaster undergoing a major refurbishment, those three days have been divided between Lingfield, Southwell, thankfully on grass on Friday, and Redcar on Saturday.

It's no matter. "The season starts here" will be the message tomorrow and, for the trainers' and jockeys' championship titles, it will be the first day of the campaign - even though it's on a Polytrack surface.

Robert Winston, cruelly denied an outstanding chance of lifting last season's jockeys' title after shattering his jaw in a horror fall at Ayr in August when leading the charge, is expected to make a flying start.

The York-based rider journeys to the Surrey course tomorrow for three mounts, the best of which is nap selection Treasure Cay in the lingfield-racecourse.co.uk Handicap over five furlongs.

Paul D'Arcy's able sprinter shaped well when fourth to Bayeux over six furlongs at Wolverhampton last time. But the return to the minimum trip, and a track where he has been successful in the past, will suit him perfectly tomorrow. He should run a big race.

The feature race on the card is the £28,000 Doncaster Mile, which has been chosen as a starting point for Vanderlin, the classiest horse in the race.

Whether Andrew Balding's useful charge will be fit enough to give away 7lb and upwards to his rivals on his seasonal reappearance on an all-weather track which is unfamiliar to him, is the moot point. It may be worth taking a chance here on Kindelight Debut, a Lingfield regular, who is as fit as a flea.

Richard Quinn, rider of Kindlelight Debut, can also score on Hephaestus in the Newchapel Maiden Auction Stakes.

The two-year-old is trained by Mick Channon, always an early starter, who, remarkably, has more than 100 juveniles in his string this season.

Mark Johnston is another trainer with huge numbers to work with at Middleham and the North's most successful handler can figure on the Lingfield scoreboard with Rebellion in the Marsh Green Handicap.

Joe Fanning's mount was a winner over this course and distance last month and looks open to further improvement.

Up at Ayr, make a note of Nifty Roy in the Alexander Morton Homes Handicap Chase.

A course-and-distance winner two outings ago, Ian McMath's gelding unseated his rider at the first fence at Kelso last Sunday. Quick compensation could well be on the cards here - provided he turns-in a clear round.

Thursday's tips:

Lingfield: 1.50 Dovedon Hero, 2.20 Hephaestus, 2.55 Rebellion, 3.25 Kalankari, 4.00 Kindlelight Debut, 4.35 Treasure Cay (NAP), 5.05 Polish Power.

Ayr: 2.10 Canada Street, 2.45 Marsh Run, 3.15 Powerlove, 3.50 Time To Roam, 4.20 Nifty Roy, 4.55 The Frosty Ferret, 5.25 Modicum.

Tomorrow's other meeting is at Ludlow.

Updated: 13:11 Wednesday, March 22, 2006