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.Balding was champion trainer in 1971, the year in which Paul Mellon's homebred Mill Reef won the Derby, Eclipse, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His father Gerald and brother Toby were both trainers, and in 2002 Balding handed over the licence at Park House Stables to his son, Andrew, who has continued to expand the powerful yard and is now a multiple Classic-winning trainer in his own right. An accomplished sportsman, Balding was a Cambridge Blue in rugby and rode successfully over jumps as an amateur. He was married to Emma, a successful breeder and owner of Kingsclere Stud whose father Peter Hastings-Bass trained at Kingsclere prior to Balding. Their daughter Clare is the celebrated BBC broadcaster and author.This story is being updated.The post Classic-Winning Trainer Ian Balding Dies at 87 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.