Tributes paid to former vet

Mr Griffiths, who owned a veterinary practice in Chepstow Road, Newport, died on Monday at the city's Royal Gwent Hospital. He had suffered from Alzheimer's Disease for several years.

Born in the Rhondda Valley, Mr Griffiths, of Corporation Road, Newport, cared for many of the pit ponies in the mines and was also one of the first in Wales to gain a fellowship at a veterinary college for his paper on artificial insemination in sheep.

His love of animals extended to his passion for racing he owned horses, was an equestrian reporter for the BBC and attended the Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on numerous occasions.

On top of all that, Mr Griffiths was also a highly rated goalkeeper and was on the books of both Arsenal and Cardiff City.

Friend Karl Richards, 55, said the pensioner attended 55 consecutive Derby races in total, which he believed to be a record.

"Wyn was an avid athlete," said Mr Richards.

"He played football in the 1940s when he was a sought-after goalkeeper.

"He played a very important role in the Welsh community by looking after pit ponies and he was a highly regarded veterinary surgeon.

"He loved horses and played polo in Cirencester. He bought a few horses with his winning from bets he placed. Wyn was also a racing reporter for the BBC and attended all the regular race meetings.

"He was a very good friend. He was eccentric but fantastic a lovely guy. He was known by a lot of people throughout the farming community in Wales."

Friend Pamela Merrick also paid tribute.

"He kept his sense of humour, and his inquisitiveness and freedom of spirit will be sadly missed by those who knew and loved him," she said.

Another friend, Diana Nuttall, said Mr Griffiths was highly respected.

"He had a great love of horses," she said. "He was particularly loved and respected in the horse world because of his comprehensive knowledge and judgement."

Mr Griffiths' wife died of polio. He leaves one son, John, who lives in America.