Roger Varian fully accepts he has been left in a privileged position after taking over training duties from Michael Jarvis, who has been forced into retirement due to ill health.
The 72-year-old has undergone heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer in recent years and his appearances on a racecourse have become less and less frequent.
Varian has been Jarvis' assistant for a decade but has now been installed as a salaried trainer, while Jarvis will remain in charge of the business as a whole.
‘Obviously it is in sad circumstances that I'm taking the reins and I wish things were different in that sense, but this is something I've always wanted to do and it's been an ambition for a long time,’ said Varian.
‘It's an unbelievable opportunity and I'm very grateful for the support Michael has given me and the support our owners have given me.
‘I've been with Michael for 10 years, which is a good stint, and we've had some great years.
‘I've learned an awful lot off arguably one of the best trainers there's been.
‘I'm very privileged and I understand that I'm very lucky. I've got a lot people to thank and if I listed them all I'd miss someone out.
‘To start off training with the roster of horses we've got here is fantastic and I'm very much looking forward to starting my career as a trainer.
‘Michael will still be around, but he'll be leaving 100% of the training to me.
‘He'll still be very much here though, and for me to have someone like that in my corner for when I start training is brilliant.
‘I'll be bending his ear plenty about all sorts of things I'm sure.’
Varian can hardly wait for the season to get under way and he feels the yard is particularly strong in the older division.
‘We have some very nice older horses with proven ability,’ Varian continued.
‘Laaheb is a five-year-old now and he won twice in Group company last season.
‘Alainmaar is back too having had his season cut short last year, but he's a very exciting horse.
‘We've got Sri Putra, who is a proven older horse, and also some nice four-year-olds who could step up to the plate with the likes of Hot Prospect and Ferdoos, who made good progress at the end of last season.
‘We've got some nice maidens in the three-year-old division who we'll look to get a bit of experience into through April and May, and while it's early days, we've got a nice looking bunch of two-years-olds.
‘I hope we're in a very strong position for the season ahead.’
Jarvis will be best remembered for the exploits of multiple Group One winner Rakti, 1989 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Carroll House and Classic winners Ameerat and Eswarah.
Jarvis has held a licence for 43 years having had a short spell as a jump jockey.
He was head groom to Towser Gosden and Gordon Smyth before taking out a licence in 1968.
‘It was obviously a tough decision to have to take and it's disappointing I've been forced to retire,’ said Jarvis.
‘I've had a wonderful career and I've loved every moment of it. We've had a lot of very good horses and it's difficult to pick out one.
‘Rakti has to be bang up there having won six Group One races. They weren't soft Group Ones either, they were all top, top races.
‘Then there were horses like Carroll House who won the Arc and the Classic winners - they are real highlights.
‘I suppose the one day that sticks out was when Ameerat won the 1000 Guineas (2001).
‘I'd been training for quite a while then and hadn't had a British Classic success.
‘I would have been a bit peeved if we hadn't had a British Classic winner, so that gave me great pleasure. Especially being for Sheikh Ahmed (Al Maktoum), who had been by biggest supporter for many years.’
Jarvis revealed Varian will begin his training career with a full team after every owner stated their intention to remain with the yard.
‘We are installing Roger as a salaried trainer and he will be doing the training,’ Jarvis added.
‘All the owners have been very supportive. We have 90-odd horses here and without exception every owner is very happy to stay.
‘We've got some very nice horses as well, so Roger has a massive opportunity.’
Stable jockey Philip Robinson led the tributes to his former employer.
‘Michael has done remarkably well considering how he's been. He's just coped with it and he did a remarkable job last year,’ said Robinson.
‘He put a very strong team around himself and I think that helped a lot. He's got some wonderful people working for him.
‘The greatest asset for any trainer is knowing their horses as individuals and getting the best out of them, and Michael did that.
‘He got to know his horses individually and didn't treat them as a pack. He was a genius at working out what they liked and what they wanted.
‘He treated the fillies one way and the colts a different way and got the best out of them. That's what made him a great trainer.
‘Rakti was a very tricky customer but we worked him out the best we could and got the best out of him.
‘A lot of it was how he came out of his box and Michael often knew whether he was in a good mood or a bad mood when he was saddling up - that's how well he knew his horses.’
Looking to the future, Robinson is unsure on the next step in his own career.
‘Roger is top class and has been working for Michael for 10 years now,’ he told At The Races.
‘Michael has taught him invaluable things over that space of time and Roger takes it all in.
‘He's a real learner and gets on with people, so I wish him all the best. It's a fantastic opportunity for him.
‘It's all happened a bit sudden and obviously it's very sad and still a bit of a shock.
‘I've got a lot of things to mull over, but I wish Roger and the team all the best.
‘At this stage, I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I'm going to give myself 24 hours to think it over and consider my options.’
Fellow trainers were quick to make their appreciation of Jarvis known on Twitter.
Ed Dunlop, who also trains in Newmarket, said: ‘Just read the very sad news that Michael Jarvis has announced his retirement, one of my heroes, a true gent and a great trainer.
‘(I) also would like to wish Roger, his assistant, best of luck with the yard, I'm sure he will do very well.’
While Roger Charlton added: ‘Very sorry to read that Michael Jarvis is to retire from training. I have the greatest respect for him, polite, clever, successful and kind.’
