“I was a disappointment from the minute I popped out,” says @clarebalding. This was because she was the firstborn and not a boy
“Oh, it’s a girl,” her grandmother said. “Never mind, you’ll just have to keep trying”
thetimes.co.uk/article/clare-…
“Oh, it’s a girl,” her grandmother said. “Never mind, you’ll just have to keep trying”
thetimes.co.uk/article/clare-…
Growing up, Balding’s father, Ian, trained racehorses for the Queen who would come for a fry-up twice a year before inspecting her thoroughbreds
Balding recalls once trying to cut into a sausage and sending it shooting across the table at their visitor
Balding recalls once trying to cut into a sausage and sending it shooting across the table at their visitor
“The Queen is very keen on sport, obviously racing, but also on #Crufts. Loves Crufts. Loves to talk about dogs,” Balding recalls
“The relationship with dogs and horses many of us will be very familiar with. They don’t respect you for your status; you have to earn their love”
“The relationship with dogs and horses many of us will be very familiar with. They don’t respect you for your status; you have to earn their love”
Her father sat Balding in the saddle aged 2. She fell off almost immediately, to which he said: “Life is all about falling off and getting back on again, Clarey Bow”
When it transpired she had a broken collarbone, he called a triumph as pro jockeys are always breaking theirs
When it transpired she had a broken collarbone, he called a triumph as pro jockeys are always breaking theirs
He also told her that she wouldn’t be a proper jockey until she had fallen off 100 times
“When you embrace the idea of falling off, you’re essentially saying it’s OK to make mistakes,” she says
thetimes.co.uk/article/clare-…
“When you embrace the idea of falling off, you’re essentially saying it’s OK to make mistakes,” she says
thetimes.co.uk/article/clare-…
As a very young child, noting the attention the dogs got, Balding behaved like one, drinking from their water bowls
Much later, when Balding finished 2nd in her first big flat race, her father’s reaction was: “You should have bloody won. What the hell were you doing?”
Much later, when Balding finished 2nd in her first big flat race, her father’s reaction was: “You should have bloody won. What the hell were you doing?”
She describes her father as “a fully committed competitor”
“Nothing else mattered much,” she says. “And that’s fair enough. That’s what made him successful. I admire that drive hugely”
“Nothing else mattered much,” she says. “And that’s fair enough. That’s what made him successful. I admire that drive hugely”
So, is Balding still regarded as a disappointment by her father? “No, no. He’s very sweet now and says, ‘When are you on television?’"
thetimes.co.uk/article/clare-…
thetimes.co.uk/article/clare-…
@clarebalding will present Sports Personality of the Year (#SPOTY) on Sunday
@EmmaRaducanu is the favourite but Balding points out a strong shortlist of contenders including Tokyo Olympic champions @TomDaley1994 & @adam_peaty
Read the full interview 👇
thetimes.co.uk/article/clare-…
@EmmaRaducanu is the favourite but Balding points out a strong shortlist of contenders including Tokyo Olympic champions @TomDaley1994 & @adam_peaty
Read the full interview 👇
thetimes.co.uk/article/clare-…
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