Sam Thomas enjoyed plenty of success as a jockey and bids for a second Welsh Grand National victory as a trainer with Iwilldoit on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Racing.
In the saddle, Thomas enjoyed plenty of Grade One success, most notably with Denman in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup, defeating stablemate Kauto Star and Ruby Walsh in the process.
Since moving into the training ranks, it’s been a slow but steady process towards the top from his Lisvane base, just outside of Cardiff, a rise that was propelled by landing Wales’s biggest race at Chepstow two years ago.
It was Stan Sheppard who guided Iwilldoit to a memorable Welsh Grand National victory in 2021, and while this time around he will shoulder top weight, Thomas expects the 10-year-old to be very competitive.
“It’s a different kettle of fish now,” Thomas told Sky Sports Racing. “The year we won it, Native River kept the weights down and we were off a much lower mark then anyway so it’s going to be a much tougher race for him.
“It won’t matter how soft it’ll be, it’ll just be the weight really but we’ll go and give it our best shot.
Sam Thomas and Stan Sheppard hold aloft the Classic Chase trophy
“He’s at the age now where he knows exactly what he’s doing. In his early days, he used to get very picky with his feed but now that’s all behind him. Once he’s in his routine, he gets on with life but you don’t notice him on the gallops.
“He just does his thing, he’s not flashy but once he’s on the racecourse he comes to life. You need those weekend winners and those good horses and they don’t come around very often.
“Although he’s 10, turning 11 soon we are making sure we look after him and don’t over-race him. Please god, he’ll have a safe trip round in the Welsh National and there’s more to come.”
‘It took me a long time to get back’
The race comes just over a year after Thomas was among five injured in a helicopter crash after clipping a tree and falling to the ground in poor weather.
Thomas was treated for minor injuries and made a full recovery, alongside major owner Dai Walters, although he admitted only recently he fully recovered from the mental anguish caused by the incident.
“Mentally, it took me a long time to get back to how I wanted to be,” he said. “I thought I was okay, I went racing a few weeks after and only now people are saying to me ‘you looked like a ghost then’ although I didn’t think it at the time.
“I call this my job but we’re out in the fresh air, my wife working with me and my lovely family and a great team of staff.
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Trainer Sam Thomas talks about his recovery over the last year after a helicopter crash in 2022
“It doesn’t last forever this, but I’m just really enjoying what we are doing here and I’m very lucky.”
Tori Thomas, a key member of the team and wife of Sam, hailed the incredible resolve from the whole team to keep the show on the road despite the circumstances with plenty of big winners in the last year.
“It was crazy,” she said. “The phone call I got when I was at the yard to say they had been in a helicopter crash was horrendous.
“How Sam has pulled through is amazing. He never moans about it, just gets through and I think he had two days off before getting back which was a shock to the system.
“How we managed last year to have some good winners and win some big races was amazing.
“The pressure on Sam is quite a lot because like anyone, we all want winners and sometimes we have to keep him in check!”
Watch the Coral Welsh Grand National, live on Sky Sports Racing on December 27.