A year on from helicopter crash, horse trainer Sam Thomas is ready for the Welsh Grand National

• ITV Wales Journalist Matt Southcombe Reports

Save for the odd rustle of hooves, the yard on the outskirts of Cardiff is calm.

Dotted throughout it are towering four-legged agents of power and speed. Their peacefulness is at odds with what these animals are capable of in their arena.

These are not just any horses, these are racehorses and they’re finely tuned to excel when it matters most.

Out on the track is where they come alive, amid the chaos. But in here there is a gentle breeze of serenity.

Spend a bit of time around them and it’s easy to see why some choose to dedicate their lives to them.

One such individual is Welshman Sam Thomas, who has been training horses for eight years and spent a decade in the saddle before that.

Last Christmas was not an easy one for the 39-year-old. Last November, he was in a helicopter that crashed in North Wales shortly after taking off.

Miraculously, he escaped unscathed. But owner Dai Walters - and Thomas’ main backer - ended up in intensive care.

“It was initially tough,” Thomas told ITV Wales. “I think it was a bit of a shock for everyone.

“I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit tough at times, but the fact that we all came out of there in one piece motivated us to sort of get on with our lives.”

Happily, Walters has since made a full recovery and the pair have been able to return their attention to the track.

And Thomas believes working with the horses has had a "healing effect".

“I think working with any animal is a great remedy for any sort of mental issues, if you like,” he said.

“I didn't feel I was suffering as such. But when I'm out here at five in the morning and I'm in a yard full of horses, whatever troubles you might have, they soon go away.

He continued: “Just having them around is a great calming influence. I'm able to jump on any one of these and go up in the hills if I'm having a bad day and disappear for an hour and a half with the horse.

“That's an amazing way to clear your head if you've got anything, any troubles going on.

“For me personally, it's an amazing, amazing tonic.”

The highlight of Thomas’ career as a jockey was winning the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

But he admits himself that, initially, he found the transition to trainer a difficult one.

“When I first started training, I found it a little bit difficult to hand over the reins, pardon the pun,” he smiles.

“But you have to take a step back and watch it all unfold and it's out of your hands.

“But really and truly, we employ the best jockeys and I employ them because I like the way they ride.

“They know our horses very well. And really, we don't end up giving our jockeys too many instructions in the end because they know how we like our horses ridden.”

There are parallels between horse racing and Formula One. Every horse - or team - has an owner who carries the financial burden. The trainer - or team principal - maps out a plan to get the best out of that horse.

Then it’s over to the jockey - or the driver - to make sure the horse performs when it counts.

That’s a long way of saying that there are a number of parties with a vested interest. It’s easy to see why conflict might arise.

The yard Thomas trains at is in Walters’ back garden but the pair’s relationship is a healthy one.

“At the end of the day, the owners are the ones that have invested the money into the game,” explained Thomas.

“They're paying the training fees, they're buying the horses and they're paying for all of their entry fees, etc. So they have every right to have an opinion.

"Sometimes owners don't particularly want to use a certain jockey. They might not want to go to a certain race on the weekend.

“But you've got to work together to give the horse the best opportunity and do what's right by the horse.”

On his relationship with Walters, Thomas adds: “We've got a great relationship. He's been very fair to me. He's given me an amazing opportunity here.

“I think I've been here for six years now, so it's been amazing. We will look after some incredible horses and we've had some really nice results.

“I'm very, very lucky that I get to call this my job and something I really look forward to getting out of bed for every morning.

“It's a bit of a dream, really, to have such amazing horses and be able to go compete on the big days against the top trainers.”

A proud Welshman, Thomas is preparing for one of the biggest days in the calendar with the Welsh Grand National taking place on 27 December.

He tasted success at Chepstow two years ago with I Will Do It and the same horse will be going again this time around, albeit carrying a fairly hefty weight.

“It’s an amazing race to win, very prestigious,” he beamed.

“It’s a race I'd probably been and watched as a kid many times and it holds great memories for me.”

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