Nick Gifford must overcome one final hurdle next week to become eligible to take over the training licence at Downs Stables, Findon.

With his background and exerience Nick is a certainty to return from Newmarket with a pass certificate in his pocket after taking the final module in a compulsory assessment.

Nick, 31-year-old son of Josh Gifford, is about to take over from his father. But he said: "It's not a pushover. For example, in the NVQ on horse care and management, you are told what is required, you go away, complete it and submit it.

"But then you face the assessment panel who would soon discover if you had got someone else to do the work for you. I was there for two hours on Tuesday and luckily the panel was quite satisfied."

Next week Nick and others, who will shortly apply for training licences, will attend lectures at the British Racing School.

Nick has already completed modules in business organisation and staff management.

In years gone by it was possible for anyone with little knowledge to train.

But over the years the Jockey Club, like the authorities in France and Ireland, have increased the requirements.

Now Nick, too tall and heavy be a jockey like his four-times champion dad, is fully committed.

"The way we are working now is that I'm in charge of the yard on a daily basis with the head girl, Celia Dunne.

"We do the riders' board for the morning exercise (who rides what) and feeding, which means getting up before 5am. But dad oversees everything and walks round and looks at all the horses during evening stables."

When that is over there's an hour in the office doing entries, telephoning owners and veterinary surgeons and so on.

If there are no runners, the afternoon is a quiet time but several times a week Nick must get himself to the races, saddle what he hopes will be a winner and talk to owners and jockeys.

With the imminent change at Downs Stables, racing secretary Judy Bradley, who had been with Josh since he began training in 1970, decided to retire. She has been succeeded by Tina Ford who Nick describes as "brilliant".

There will be changes at Findon. Josh never found it easy to accept summer jump racing. His career as a rider was based on a season ending in early June and starting again in the West Country in August.

Nick said: "Now there is quite a lot of national hunt racing in June and July, unfortunately none of it is adjacent to us, and this gives opportunities for horses who can act on firm ground.

"If you've got the right horse you must give him a chance to win if it's midsummer day or whenever."

Not all the 55 boxes have occupants and one of the new trainer's tasks will be to find new owners and more horses.

In the meantime there are several promising animals in the yard, none more so than Kopeck who won his first hurdle at enormous odds at Ascot last month.

Kopeck is a full brother to the ill-fated Rouble who lost his life last March. Jockey Leighton Aspell said: "Riding Kopeck you might think you were on the other horse. He is a clone of Rouble and I think he could be as good."

Nick brushes aside criticism of Kopeck following his poor run at Wincanton a couple of weeks ago.

"At Ascot, the ground was soft and Kopeck stayed on uphill to go past tired horses. He is 17.1 hands high, a big chasing type and at Wincanton they simply went too quick for him on fast ground."

Nick mentions Narwhal and Telimar Prince as a couple to keep an eye on but he and Josh are excited about Skycab's entry for the Martell Grand National.

Nick said: "Skycab stays, he jumps well without being extravagant, travels nicely through his races and he's the ideal age of 11, the average for Grand National winners."