[1] He was born in the United States where his father, Gerald Barnard Balding, Sr., ran a polo team.
His brother, Ian Balding, also a retired trainer, trained Mill Reef to win the Epsom Derby.
[1] In 1969, Balding won his first Grand National with Highland Wedding, following up twenty years later with the gelding Little Polveir.
That same year he had won the Champion Hurdle with Beech Road, a race he also went on to win in 1991 with Morley Street regarded as the best horse he trained.
[2] Balding was instrumental in the careers of jockeys Adrian Maguire and Tony McCoy, providing them both with their first jobs in England.