Excited Burke living the dream despite absence of quiet reflection

It’s the time of year when the treadmill takes its toll. Autumn heralds the last throes of the turf season, when many springtime dreams have long since turned to dust. And the endless round of summer racing, which has run its course, has been replaced by the endless round of yearling sales.

Karl Burke is looking tired as he sits in the Green Room at Tattersalls. Having taken an early supper, he has one eye on the bidding boards as he counts down to an imminent lot of interest. The other is trained on an adjacent screen showing night-time action from Newcastle. The last of Burke’s eight runners is due off at 9pm. He has already monitored the progress of five others at Catterick and Leicester.

Sales time should be cathartic for trainers like Burke. Another successful season has allowed him to spend larger sums on new stock, new dreams, than ever before. It’s a vindication of everything he has aspired to: a happy bank manager, his stable full to the point of overflowing and 20 more boxes nearing completion.