Racing: Ian Balding retires to let his son Andrew take over

Ian Balding, the winner of the top races Europe can offer, is to hand over the licence at his Park House stables at Kingsclere, Berkshire, to his son Andrew.

Balding, who has been a trainer since 1964 and whose owners include the Queen, will continue to be involved at Kingsclere and manage one of the four yards, but his position as figurehead will terminate at the end of the year. It brings to an end an era highlighted by Mill Reef, the winner of the Derby, Eclipse, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1971.

He was not alone. "I suppose Mill Reef's Arc de Triomphe probably was the high point and, more recently, emotionally Lochsong's second Prix de l'Abbaye," Balding said yesterday. "It's been wonderful to train a few good horses for lots of wonderful owners. Andrew and I have been sharing the horses and he's just done extremely well and it's high time he took over."

Apart from the Arc and the Abbaye, the Kingsclere trainer won a host of other top class races, including the Champion Stakes, Cheveley Park Stakes and the Ayr Gold Cup.

Balding will still be involved with the training at Kingsclere and added: "We will still have a few jumpers and I will continue to manage one of the yards." Balding rode around 70 winners as an amateur and "a lot of point-to-point winners" and Kingsclere has been home to many successful jockeys.

"Ernie Johnson was the first of many good ones" he added "and I suppose Martin Dwyer the most recent as well as Philip Waldron, John Matthias and Shaun Payne. Martin is a top prospect and we are really proud of him and this year Liam Keniry is also doing well."