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Hello nostalgia fans, been a while.
So, back in 2011/12, we were discussing the music that used to close the BBC racing coverage, describing it as a synthesizer doodle..
Turns out this has been on Youtube for a while, but it passed me by. Go through the coverage of Willie Wumpkins and you’ll get there.
Oh, and while we’re here, let’s have the opening to the first day of the 1980 Cheltenham Festival
And I must plug EddieCR who has been posting extended coverage of early 80s Guineas, Derbys, Oaks and King Georges.
https://www.youtube.com/user/bluemanc43/videosEnjoy!
Go through the coverage of Willie Wumpkins and you’ll get there.
Good stuff Applejack
Shame, I thought you’d found a 10-minute video of Willie Wumpkins slugging out an entire 3m++. What a toughie he was
“This is BBC2, now at two o’clock racing from Cheltenham”
A plummy, succinct introduction, a short overture, then a pleasingly understated introduction to the meeting from Julian Wilson
No frills, no bells, no whistles – perfect
Given the name Willie Wumpkins hadn’t crossed my mind for decades and how nice it was to be reminded of him I’ve done a little memory-googlejogging and just found this endearing eulogy:
AMONG four-time festival winners such as Arkle and Istabraq, the name Willie Wumpkins strikes a plebeian note, but his feats at the meeting were extraordinary and, with his daffy name and apparent immunity to the ageing process, this family horse built up a huge following.
Willie Wumpkins first troubled the festival scorer when winning the staying novice hurdle – now the Neptune – as a five-year-old in 1973. He was trained by Adrian Maxwell in Ireland for his aunt Jane Pilkington and was sent off at 11-1. God knows where he spent the next few years but I have always had the theory it might have been Lourdes.
But, relocated to Gloucestershire and trained by Mrs Pilkington herself under permit, it was in the Coral Golden (now Pertemps) Handicap Hurdle Final that he gained immortality. What Willie Wumpkins wanted was a stamina-sapping three miles in deep ground and the ownertrainer’s son-in-law, crack amateur Jim Wilson, on top. On the afternoon of the Coral in 1979 a friend in the box from where I was watching told me he had been riding work with Wumpkins and begged me to back him – advice I wish I had taken when he bolted up at 25-1. By the following year more folk had cottoned on and this time he won at 10-1. By his final appearance in 1981 the public understood fully that a few noughts in his form string were of no concern. Indeed, on his final prep run if you could discern him in the far distance with the sort of binoculars that used to be standard issue for U-Boat commanders, you knew he was spot-on.
On that last afternoon of victory it was eight years since he had first won at the Festival but devotees of the cult steamed in as if there was no settling day. Nor did the old boy, 13 years young and a 13-2 shot if you please, let them down and he won his favourite race for the third consecutive year to a tremendous reception.
He lived to a fine old age in retirement in the Cotswolds – a small corner of which he had made forever his own.
Alastair Down Festival specialist Owner Jane Pilkington Trainers Adrian Maxwell, Jane Pilkington Jockeys Pat Colville, Jim Wilson Festival wins 1973 Aldsworth Hurdle, 1979, 1980 & 1981 Coral Golden Hurdle Final Other big wins none Ran 65 races over jumps, won 7 What you didn’t know He was named after Bill Harrison, one of the owner’s friends What they said about him “It sounded like the Cornish Riviera pulling out of Paddington” – The owner’s husband, ‘Boy’ Pilkington, on the noise made by the gelding’s leaky heart valve
I’ve got a nice little book called Cheltenham Champions of the Eighties written by Charles Bateman; he wrote it with a view to producing a book that wasn’t expensive for people to buy and all profits went to racing charities.My dear pal Peter Miller proof read it [along with Chris Pitt], and I’m pretty sure he said that he and Charles went to visit Willie.’He is still spending his days at Hyde Mill, living the life of luxury. He is also quite a celebrity, opening local fetes and collecting for charity He still gets plenty of fan mail and in Stow, he has certainly not been forgotten’.Thanks for the link Old Applejack.
Resurrecting this again! I did record the instrumental pieces of music from the 1986 Grand National.
I believe one was parts of a remix of The Human League – Things That Dreams Are Made Of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCDNQUsGiOA
I think another was the start of Bad Love by Eric Clapton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z63iHXAjoNA
They were indeed Dave, and The Human League one always takes me back.
Welcome to TRF
Ski Sunday made use of the Human League one as well. Background music to David Vine running down the start list a la Pete Tong. Perhaps the BBC were better at making ends meet in those days
Those quite taking Cavity Hunter silks, I always think of as the Broncho 11 colours. Remember them also on Dorlesa and Winter Rain, who was killed first Bechers in Rummy’s third National. Owners were the Tylesdale family. Cannot remember any other horses that they owned Mind you, a look at the Dickinson strings in Horses In Training from mid 1970’s to mid 1980’s, medium sized, emphasis on quality, they just did not do poor horses.
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