5am starts, 17-hour days and unseen precision - meet the team who rise before dawn to prepare Cheltenham's sacred stage

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Twas the night before Cheltenham and, all through the house, not a creature was stirring – except the clerk of the course. 

On all four racedays of festival week, Jon Pullin's alarm clock wakes him before 5am, when the sun is still about 90 minutes from heaving into view. For most people, and especially for any racefans who indulged the night before, this would still qualify as the middle of the night. Even the game's youthful enthusiasts will continue to slumber for several hours past this point before throwing off the duvet with a song in their hearts.

For the man who bears ultimate responsibility for the sacred turf, there are barely enough hours in the day when it comes to this week. Pullin will be on site by 5.30am and might be there for the next 17 hours if watering is required after racing.