‘I’m sure there’s lots more to come from him - some of his work last season reminded me of Master Minded’

Paul Nicholls begins his stable tour on an uncharacteristically pessimistic note. “I’ll tell you one thing,” he says, “I don’t think I’ll be champion trainer this season.”

That doesn’t sound like the man whose obsessive desire for winning has propelled him to 14 trainers' titles, and he is quick to expand, explaining: “Okay, I’m not waving the white flag already and saying I can’t win it, I’m saying it’s going to be nearly impossible for me to win the title.

"For a start, despite a very good summer when we had 20 winners, we’ve made an unusually slow start this autumn. Don’t ask me why, but the horses have held on to their condition for longer than I can ever remember. I’m astounded how much work they have taken. People keep asking me what’s wrong with the yard, but there’s been nothing wrong, we’re simply not rolling yet.