Who was Maureen Mullins and why does she have a Cheltenham Festival race named after her?
MAUREEN MULLINS was the iconic mother of trainer Willie.
A legend of racing, Maureen sadly passed away aged 94 last month.
The Mullins family matriarch was a leading figure in the sport for decades prior to her passing.
Maureen came from a farming family in Ireland and had an interest in horses from a young age.
In 1954 she married famous Irish trainer Paddy Mullins, who was responsible for six Cheltenham Festival successes while assisted by Maureen.
They ran their operation together out of Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny for more than 50 years before Paddy died in 2010.
She also rode herself, winning the ladies event at Gowran Park in 1982.
Maureen went on to become a director and shareholder at the Kilkenny racecourse.
She and Paddy had five children together; Sandra, Willie, George, Tony and Tom.
All five rode winners as jockeys, while Willie in particular went on to become a legendary trainer, taking after his parents.
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The 67-year-old could reach a century of Cheltenham Festival winners with six triumphs this week.
Maureen also has 10 grandchildren – with David riding 2016 Grand National winner Rule The World, and Emmett sending out 2022 champion Noble Yeats.
She remained a regular at racing events even in her latter years.
In 2016 she received an award for contribution to the sport from Horse Racing Ireland.
Maureen remained engaged in racing right up to her passing.
She even placed her final €20 bet on grandson Charlie just hours before her death.
Her bet came in, with Charlie triumphing on a horse trained by Willie.
In January this year she opened a new weighing room at Gowran Park.
But shortly after she came down with a bout of “pneumonia or a flu”.
SunSport’s Matt Chapman has hailed Maureen as an “absolute legend”.
In her honour, today’s 17:30 at Cheltenham has been named the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup.
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