Strike a Balance, dam of Canadian Horse of the Year Peaks and Valleys, died April 12 at Josephine Abercrombie's Pin Oak Stud near Versailles. Ky., from foaling complications. The 24-year-old daughter of Green Dancer produced a Rahy filly two days earlier.
"She was due to be pensioned," said general manager Clifford Barry, "She was a lovely mare and everyone at the farm was attached to her. Her filly is on a nurse mare and is doing fine."
Peaks and Valleys scored his big win in the 1995 Molson Export Million Stakes (gr. I) the year he was Canada's Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male. The son of Mt. Livermore also won that year's Meadowlands Cup Handicap (gr. I), Illinois Derby (gr. II), and Derby Trial Stakes (gr. III). Peaks and Valleys, who entered stud at Pin Oak, currently stands at Gardiner Farms in Ontario, Canada, as the property of Pin Oak.
Strike a Balance produced a total of 16 named foals, 10 of which are winners, including stakes winner Alternate. A daughter of Seattle Slew, Alternate is one of several descendants of Strike a Balance that are members of the Pin Oak broodmare band. Alternate produced a Seeking the Goldcolt this year and is in foal to Distorted Humor .
Strike a Balance, who is out of the Iron Ruler mare Strike a Pose, also is the granddam of five stakes winners, two of which, Cryptograph and Equality, are Pin Oak homebred graded winners. Strike a Balance's yearling filly, Westling, is by Gone West.