Sidelined flat jockey Walter Swinburn yesterday revealed that he is planning a return to action next spring. The three-time Derby winner, who has been taking a sabbatical from racing since April, is undergoing a fitness programme aimed at allowing him to resume at the start of the 1998 turf season next March.

"I know some people doubted whether I could return. You can assure them I will - stronger than ever," Swinburn told The Mail On Sunday.

"The break has done me wonders. I feel fantastic. Everything is in order in my life again. I feel I can go on now for another 10 or 15 years."

The 36-year-old, who has been at the top level of racing since he won the Derby as a teenager on Shergar in 1981, admitted that it was weight problems which forced him to take a break from the sport.

"I had to admit I had a problem," he said. "With the backing of my family and friends I have been able to do that - and to tackle it."