'It's tough financially and last year I said I might get a job driving a lorry instead - although to be fair I'd probably crash!'

It is odd to think on the eve of a career-best season Stuart Edmunds considered giving up training for good.

Last summer, his home of 42 years was put on the market and the trainer was left to weigh up his options. Should he embark on the search for a new yard or give up the game entirely?

"I wasn't sure what to do because financially it's difficult," Edmunds, 59, says. "I had a few options and discussed it with my wife and I said I might go get a job driving a lorry or something like that.