Racehorse trainer Andrew Balding’s stables resonate with Derby history. He explains to Kate Green why the race is still the ultimate prize and reveals his tips for the meeting.
THAT every trainer of Flat racehorses in the land wants to win the Epsom Derby is a statement of the obvious, but, for Andrew Balding, whose Kingsclere yard on the north Hampshire Downs sent out eight winners between 1868 and 1971, the quest is perhaps more personal. The last of the octet, Mill Reef, was trained by his father, Ian, in the year before he was born.
‘My father was a hugely successful sportsman and trainer, for whom the Derby was the pinnacle of his career and the major chapter of his life. I grew up very aware of that,’ says Mr Balding. ‘I’ve always been fascinated by history and I love the fact that the Derby has been the ultimate test of a racehorse for 239 years. Once your name’s etched on that board, no one can rub it off.
‘The atmosphere is like no other. It’s the clash of cultures: top hats and tails on one side of the course and lucky-heather sellers and bare-knuckle fighters on the other. And from a personal point of view, my yard, my house and my gallops [on Watership Down] were built by a man who trained six Derby winners.’
Denne historien er fra May 29, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 29, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
