Kingsclere

A service to celebrate the life of Classic-winning trainer Ian Balding will be held on Sunday, April 19, at Park House Stables, Kingsclere.  Balding, who died on January 2 at the age of 87, made an indelible impression on the turf, both as the trainer of a swathe of top-class horses including Mill Reef, and as a mentor to many young people who subsequently graduated to success in the sport.  His son Andrew, now one of Britain's leading trainers, succeeded him at the helm of Kingsclere in 2002 and has...

Since the death of Ian Balding, we have been reflecting on treasured memories not only of the highly respected trainer but also of one of Kingsclere's greatest patrons, Paul Mellon. It was fitting, therefore, that Andrew Balding should have won at Newcastle last Friday with Level Look, who was bred by Emma Balding at Kingsclere Stud and is raced by the Kingsclere Racing Club, whose horses keep the famous black and gold Mellon silks alive. On a much grander scale, another fitting recent result was that of the General Sires'...

Ian Balding, who has died at the age of 87, made an indelible impression on the turf, not only as the trainer of some wonderful horses including Mill Reef, but also as mentor to many young people who subsequently graduated to success in the sport. Most notable is his son Andrew, who succeeded him at the helm of Kingsclere in 2002 and who has subsequently ensured that Kingsclere remains synonymous with both success and class. Ian Balding and his elder brother Toby were born in the USA where their father...

Ian Balding, trainer of the great Mill Reef among of a host of top-class horses to have passed through his Kingsclere stable, has died at the age of 87. The news was announced in a social media post from Park House Stables, which read, "We are deeply sorry to share the sad news that Ian Balding has passed away. "A wonderful family man, a hugely successful racehorse trainer and a brilliant sportsman. "He will be greatly missed by all at Park House." Balding was champion trainer in 1971, the year...

Qatar Racing has removed its six horses from Andrew Balding's Kingsclere yard. The news was confirmed by the trainer's wife, Anna Lisa, speaking at Newcastle on Friday. Anna Lisa said, "Andrew and Sheikh Fahad just had differences and we just decided that it was probably best to go our separate ways." Balding's association with Sheikh Fahad's operation has been particularly fruitful. Since Qatar Racing was established in 2012, Balding has been training for the operation which has resulted in a quartet of Group 1 winners:  2000 Guineas winner and Group...

A special aspect of British racing is the existence of some spectacular country estates devoted solely to the purpose of breeding and training racehorses. For anyone with a love of the turf, names such as Kingsclere, Manton and Beckhampton have resonated down the years.  We owe a debt of gratitude to those who ensure that they continue in this modern era, with their swathes of land so attractive to developers and their historic buildings so expensive to maintain. Andrew Balding's base at Park House Stables has subsumed its village's name...

SAKHIR, Bahrain--It has been a big year for Harry Davies. Having made his first appearance under rules aboard Battered (GB) for Hugo Palmer at Southwell on January 11, Britain's fastest-rising apprentice is currently engaged in his first overseas riding job at the Bahrain Turf Club, where he is working for leading trainer Allan Smith.  In the weighing-room, Davies is as fresh-faced as they come, but then that's no surprise as he is still only 17. In conversation, however, he has the maturity and quiet confidence of someone twice his age....

There is much to admire about the team at Kingsclere, especially during a season when Andrew Balding has been in or near the top spot of the trainers' table throughout. But one particularly admirable facet to the Balding stable is in its sourcing of young stock at the yearling sales.  Key to that process are the trainer's mother, Emma Balding, and Kingsclere's racing manager, Tessa Hetherington.  The duo can regularly be spotted forming an advance party on the sales grounds, sifting through the catalogue to ensure that they are left...