NATIONAL HUNT LEGENDS

Fulke Walwyn won National as jockey and trainer

- BY CHRIS WRIGHT

(FOX PHOTOS/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES)

FOR more than 50 years Fulke Walwyn was a name synonymous with success at the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree Racecourse.

The Wrexham-born former officer in the 9th Lancers and military policeman racked up victories in the biggest races both as a jockey and a trainer.

Walwyn was associated either directly or indirectly with some of the most famous horses in National Hunt history.

As an amateur jockey, he partnered dual Grand National winner Reynolds-town to the second of his two victories in 1936 and also won the amateur jockey title twice. But he was even more prolific when he turned to training following injury in 1939.

Walwyn went on to train until 1986, landing more than 2,000 winners. He won four Cheltenham Gold Cups, two Champion Hurdles, three Stayers' Hurdles, five King George VI Chase at Kempton Park, seven Whitbread Gold Cups at Sandown and seven Hennessy Gold Cups at Newbury.

And as he had done as a rider, Walwyn also won the Grand National with Team Spirit in 1964 in one of five seasons he was also crowned as British Jumps Racing champion trainer.

He was the leading trainer with 40 victories at the Cheltenham Festival up until Nicky Henderson passed it in 2012. Recently, Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins have also gone ahead of Walwyn in the all-time list - although his victories came when the meeting was just three days instead of four.

Walwyn trained for some notable owners, providing Dorothy Paget - who owned five-time Gold Cup winner and Grand National hero Golden Miller - with a record licence that year and began at Delamere House in Lambourn, winning his first trainers' title in 1946 - the first of three consecutive championship victories. Further titles were won in 1957-58 and 1963-64.