Most of us have a theme tune with which we associate our lives, and ROBIN TREVOR-JONES, who has been Ed's Travelling Head Lad for the last 14 years, is more than happy to accept that great Lee Marvin classic from yesteryear, Wandering Star.
Living out of a suitcase is not for everyone, but Robin, who has barely been seen in Newmarket since he drove the horsebox out of the gates of La Grange stables heading for Japan with Snow Fairy at the end of October, has no complaints and simply loves the travelling and meeting new people.
Speaking from Meydan, where, besides celebrating his birthday (he preferred not to say which one), he has been supervising the morning work for Fareer at the Dubai Carnival, Robin said:"It's a great life - I have no ties at home and someone looks after my house when I am away, so it suits me. Apart from returning to Newmarket to refresh the suitcase for a week and a half before Christmas, I have been on the road since the autumn and won't be back until after the big meeting in Hong Kong on May 1, when we could run Snow Fairy in the Audemars Piguet QE Cup at Sha Tin."
"Snow Fairy was amazing in both Japan and Hong Kong. I was in America with Ouija Board for three Breeders Cups and could never imagine life without her. Ouija Board was always going to be a huge box to fill, but we have been so fortunate to have Snow Fairy come along so soon after. Ouija Board twice won the Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf, at Lone Star Park and Churchill Downs, and was truly exceptional, and, though she finished an excellent second to Intercontinental in between at Belmont, I was absolutely gutted when she got beaten that day."
"If anything, Snow Fairy has a better temperament than Ouija Board, which means so much when you are taking these horses all over the world. You would have to go a long way to beat the facilities we have here at the International Barn in Dubai, but the place has changed so much since I first came here in 1993. The World Trade Centre was the biggest building in town in those days - it is still here but now it is one of the smallest!"T
To borrow the title of one of Max Bygraves's most famous hits, 'Fings Ain't What They Used to Be' in Dubai, but, apart from the weather - poor old Robin has had to put up with the odd sandstorm and the sight of wind-breakers on the beach - all the changes have been beneficial.
Robin, who says that there is a terrific camarederie in Ed's yard, added:"My first visit racing here was with Monsagem and Night Style in 2000 and we also had three winners and a second with the horses we brought for the first Carnival, so it has been a lucky place for us," though Robin was too diplomatic to recall the one exception when Ouija Board was given a less than inspiring ride by Kieren Fallon in the Sheema Classic, a day which Ed himself would doubtless rather forget, too.
Stressing the enormous progress that he has seen in travelling horses around the globe, Robin added:"Racecourse managements have become a lot wiser, knowing that they must do their best to accomodate trainer's requests. Quarantine regulations have improved tremendously, and from a personal point of view we are very lucky to have a top-class New Zealand vet back in Newmarket. He ensures that the horses get the right medication before they travel, which makes the preparation easier, both on the flight and when we arrive on foreign soil. Obviously, all countries have slightly different regulations, but they realise that all we want is to get our horse to the track in as good a condition as when he or she left home, and nine times out of ten everything runs smoothly."
Robin, who joined Ed, having filled a similar role for seven years with David Morley - "We had horses for Sheikh Hamdan and when David, who was a lovely man, sadly died, Angus Gold, the Sheikh's racing manager, told me that he knew that Ed was looking for a new Travelling Head Lad, so kindly put me in for the job" - is an avid Derby County fan, as is Channel Four's face of Flat Racing, Mike Cattermole, and the pair are often seen together on the racecourse, taking a trip down Memory Lane, rekindling the glory days of Hector, O'Hare and Durban.
"Since we got to Wembley for the play-offs, it has been one nightmare after another," groaned Robin. "When I was in Japan we could not stop winning, but it didn't last long - by the time I reached Hong Kong we were back on a losing streak, and we have barely won a game since. Getting beaten by our arch-rivals, Nottingham Forest, was rubbing salt in the wound, but thankfully the horses have been doing better than the Rams these past few months."