Walter De Wodeland is an unusual name. It sounds like the name of a medieval knight, and in fact it is.

It was also the name of a well-loved Westcountry racehorse, bred, owned and trained near Saltash in Cornwall by Jackie du Plessis. The original "Walter" was a retainer to the Black Prince who died in 1370. His namesake died last month.

There is quite a story behind the equine Walter, who was bred from a long generation of Cornish mares. His grand-dam La Jolie Fille was also successful for the du Plessis family at the now-defunct Lemalla track back in 1981.

Walter nearly didn't make it at all. "His dam Kingsmill Quay foaled him in the field earlier than expected," said Jackie. He was found at the bottom of a 10ft bank in a stream, known as Alderplot Bottom. "It was all panic stations as we called friends to help," said Jackie.

Luckily for them, the colt made a quick recovery. "I had to sleep in his stable though," she added.

However, a few days later, he was found to have a ruptured bladder. "We knew something was wrong, but it was nothing to do with his fall and is not unusual in colt foals. We took him to Langford (Bristol University) for an operation, but not sure if he would return. It cost a fortune."

His early escapades led to the formation of an ownership syndicate called the Alderplot Friends, consisting of Vic and Margaret King, Sarah Herbert, Jackie and Nigel Edmonds.

The young gelding eventually thrived, and nurtured by his connections, duly qualified as a point-to-pointer and faced his first race. The chosen venue was the open maiden race at Buckfastleigh on March 19, 2006 ridden by Susan Young. Showing signs of greenness, the then five-year-old refused and deposited his rider at the very first fence.

This is where his story takes another twist. It so happened that Virginia Pope, an artist from Exbourne, who loves to paint "countryside matters", was on hand with paintbrush at the ready that day at Buckfastleigh.

As the loose Walter de Wodeland came galloping towards the artist, the magic of her paintbrush set to work. "This was a heaven-sent opportunity to assess my subject," said Virginia. "He was running on his own and was not upset by the state of affairs. I watched, he ticked all the boxes, setting himself a good even pace and made it easy for me to get the moment I wanted which was all four feet off the floor."

This is where the Western Morning News entered the story.

A plea was made in the Westcountry Horses section for readers to identify the mystery horse.

Among a few incorrect answers, the Alderplot Friends were quick to confirm that it was their boy. "Red and black are our race colours, and Walter de Wodeland was wearing his race browband that day," said Jackie du Plessis.

Two weeks after his first race, Walter finished second at Great Trethew.

Described in the form book as a good-bodied gelding by the Vauterhill-based stallion Bandmaster, the five-year-old opened his account in his only other race that season.

Susan Young again had the mount and steered him home to win the confined maiden at Flete Park.

Walter became a regular around the Westcountry point-to-point and hunter chase scene over the next few years. He eventually won four races and reached the frame in half of his 28 runs. Emily Noszkay, James Best and Jo Buck all won point-to-points on him, and he was placed twice in hunter chases under Jo Buck.

Sadly, Walter ran his last race at Black Forest Lodge last month with Jo Buck in the saddle, but his memory has been perpetuated, largely due to that chance encounter with Virginia Pope.

Prints from her painting had already elevated Walter to a significant fundraiser, realising thousands of pounds for charity, including a Christmas card which brought greater awareness to the Langford Trust – a reminder of their lifesaving veterinary work which brings Walter's story to full circle.