Much-loved multi-millionaire owner to sell 25 of his horses after near-death experience

MUCH-LOVED multi-millionaire owner Dai Walters is to sell 25 of his horses – as he continues his recovery from a helicopter crash.

Among those being put up for sale is Aintree Grand National Festival runner Grey Diamond.

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Walters, 77, and trainer Sam Thomas were lucky to make it out alive from the wreckage in Wales last November.

Plant hire tycoon Walters, who had a runner in last Saturday’s Grand National, is recovering at home after spending weeks in intensive care.

He has been a leading owner for many years and is best known for Oscar Whisky and Whisper, who both won Grade 1 hurdle races at Aintree.

William Henry, Al Dancer and Our Power, who finished 11th in the Grand National won by Corach Rambler, are some of his other big names.

The 25 horses will be offered up on the final day of the Goff’s UK Spring HIT/PTP sale at Doncaster on May 25.

Goffs UK managing director Tim Kent said: “The Doncaster Spring HIT/PTP Sale is the largest National Hunt horses-in-training sale in the world, and we are grateful to Mr Walters and his family for choosing it as an outlet for their Walters Plant Hire partial dispersal.

“The Spring Sale has hosted many high-class dispersals over the years and this draft, which will be offered along with the annual Million In Mind dispersal in May, will certainly be among the highlights for 2023.”

Welshman Walters escaped the crash then survived Covid, sepsis and pneumonia in hospital.

But the smash in Ruthin, Wales, left him with a broken back and neck, eight shattered ribs and a busted sternum and heel.

Witnesses described seeing something like a scene from a disaster movie and Walter was rushed to intensive care at Glan Clwyd hospital in Rhyl.

Surrounded by his family, Walters still needs intense physio every day now but is just grateful to be alive.

He said: “All I can remember is that we were in the helicopter less than 30 seconds.

“I could see it coming towards the trees and I was saying ‘keep it up, keep it up.’ Then we hit a tree. It landed on its backend.

“There were four lads under 40 with families in there and I was terrified it would catch fire.

“They all had to crawl over me to get out.”