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Fond memories of a festival folk hero plus a Gold Cup-winning trainer's tips
Whetting the appetite for Cheltenham every day until we're off and running
Festival Legends: Willie Wumpkins
His name might not carry the same kudos but Willie Wumpkins has forever earned his place among a select band of four-time festival winners, including the mighty Arkle and magnificent Istabraq, and he is perhaps the most remarkable name on that list given the last three of those wins came when aged in double digits and all in the same race.
Trained in Ireland by Adrian Maxwell for his aunt Jane Pilkington, Willie Wumpkins looked a novice of great promise when he won what is now the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle as an 11-1 shot on his first visit to the festival at the age of five in 1973.
Named after Bill Harrison, one of the owner's friends, Willie Wumpkins was plagued with a serious heart issue after his first festival success, drastically losing condition and having to be painstakingly nursed back to full fitness.
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