'I felt a lot of pressure when I took over - there was a lot going on, a lot on my shoulders'

Joe Tizzard clambers down from the roof of his 4x4 like a wellington-booted, West Country Bear Grylls. "Don't let anybody tell you being a trainer is easy," he puffs, hopping off the bonnet, leaving a trail of muddy footprints across the bodywork.

Technically, this has had little to do with training – he's been untangling a tree swing that had become lodged in the lower branches, for the benefit of his young son Tommy – but I'm so full of admiration for his fatherly devotion that I can't bring myself to point it out.

Anyway, I've already watched him harrowing the gallops at 7am – or rather I've already watched the headlights of the tractor from a distance while sipping a cup of coffee in the yard – so I know he's very much hands-on at Spurles Stables and not one to shirk a job that needs doing.