As the days count down to the Vodafone Derby at Epsom this weekend, no man's mobile phone rings more than that of Andrew Cooper.

Clerk of the course at the meeting since 1996, Cooper is also Director of Racing at United Racecourses.

But don't go thinking that he employs his minions to do the simple jobs like handing out going reports - in the few minutes that we spend together walking the track, his phone bleeps into life at least 10 times.

"It's funny because a lot of them are punters," he smiles. "They don't say that's who they are, but you can just tell because of the questions they ask.

"I don't really mind that much, I try to be polite anyway. They want to know what the situation is before they have a big ante-post bet.

"By Wednesday or Thursday you don't get so many owners and trainers ringing. I think people have made up their minds themselves by now as to whether they are going to run or not."

Epsom's managing director Stephen Wallis, a man who has turned his love for the Derby into a personal crusade, prides himself on the attention to detail that his team put into the management of the world's most famous Flat race.

And Cooper is a self-confessed perfectionist when it comes to getting the job done.

"I must admit I spent last night watching the full video of the BBC's programme from Epsom last year," he says.

"I was just seeing what we could learn - where the positions of the cameras were, that kind of thing.

"You are always tweaking and trying to improve. You can forget things so quickly that were so important at the time.

"Last year the first hour of the programme was spent debating whether the horses would come up the stands' side in the Derby.

"Then in the first race, Paul Hanagan took Vintage Premium up the fresh ground on the far side and won easily and that ended that argument quite quickly."

One of the major examples of the progressive stance he takes is the use of the Turftrax going meter.

As part of the ongoing search to find a more modern way of giving the going report, the latest prototype of the 'smart stick' has been under test from Cooper and his staff at Epsom in the build-up to the meeting.

Easy to use and simple to understand, it certainly looks the part in the continual quest to improve the uniformity of going reports.

"I'm not sure it will ever replace my trusty wooden stick but it is certainly something very interesting for the future and this year we are sending text messages to all trainers with runners in the big races with the latest Turftrax readings and reports," he explains.

"I am not sure the scale is quite right all of the time but it is a useful back-up for conventional going reports.

"Despite all of the other jobs I have to do, getting the going right is still the most important one.

"Ideally, if I could choose the ground for the Derby it would be good, good to firm in places. The important thing is to have safe ground.

"We know in our job that we can't please everybody - we have a target as to what ground we would like and everything we do is geared towards producing that."

Cooper, who admits to fancying Refuse To Bend for Saturday's big race, received a vote of confidence from the connections of that colt when Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen flew in to walk the course on Tuesday.

"It's always reassuring when senior professionals like that give you the thumbs-up.

"The sort of weather forecast we have had this week - 'unsettled with showers' - is the sort you hate the most because you just don't know what you are going to get.

"We subscribe to a weather consultancy service but you also have to use a bit of guesswork and things can go wrong easily.

"Yes, I have sleepless nights worrying about it. I think it just comes with the territory of the job. But, fortunately, it's a job I love doing."