Andrew Balding

RACING lends itself to dynasties; the same surnames are found repeated in generational gaps throughout its history. That comes with advantages, of course – knowledge is inherent, networks are pre-established and often facilities are inherited. It also comes with heavier loads, however; expectations are high, while successes are perhaps taken for granted and failures more public.

In the build-up to the 2020 Derby, there was barely a mention of favourite Kameko and his trainer Andrew Balding that didn’t include a reference to Andrew’s father Ian’s victory in the race with Mill Reef in 1971, 18 months before Andrew was born. That great horse’s statue stands proudly at the heart of the Baldings’ training establishment at Kingsclere, Berkshire, in the yard that bears his name.

“The problem with the Derby is that you get very few goes at it, and it is incredibly hard to find