Peaks and Valleys (1992–2012) was a Canadian Thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

Background

Bred by

Josephine Abercrombie Josephine Avalona Abercrombie (January 15, 1926 – January 5, 2022) was an American horsewoman, businesswoman, boxing promoter, philanthropist, and founder of The Lexington School in Lexington, Kentucky. Early life and education Abercrombie was ...

's Pin Oak Stud in Versailles, Kentucky, he was the son of Carter Handicap winner Mt. Livermore, a son of the very important Champion sire,

Blushing Groom Blushing Groom (8 April 1974 – 6 May 1992) was a French champion Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. Background He was bred by American businessman John McNamee Sullivan and was raced by Aga Khan IV, HH Aga Khan IV. A ...

. Peaks and Valleys' dam was Strike a Balance, a daughter of the French Champion sire, Green Dancer. Peaks and Valleys was trained by Olympic Equestrian

Gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

ist and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer,

Jim Day James E. Day (born July 7, 1946 in Thornhill, Ontario) was a Canadian Olympic equestrian show jumping championRiver Downs in Cincinnati, Ohio followed by two more victories at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada. At age three in 1995, Peaks and Valleys won the Derby Trial but skipped the American Triple Crown races. Under future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone, he also won the Grade I Molson Export Million Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack and the Grade I

Meadowlands Cup The Monmouth Cup Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of miles annually in early July at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event currently offers a purse of $400,000 ...

at the Meadowlands Racetrack in

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

. He also beat Da Hoss by two lengths to win the Illinois Derby in Chicago. After his win in the last of these races, Krone described him as "a magnificent horse with a long, smooth stride." Although he finished sixth in the Breeders' Cup Classic, his 1995 performances earned Peaks and Valleys the Sovereign Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male Horse and Canadian Horse of the Year titles. In 1996, four-year-old Peaks and Valleys made four starts. He won an allowance race at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

and finished second in both the Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap and Whitney Handicap at the Saratoga Race Course.

Stud record

At the end of the year, Peaks and Valleys was retired and entered stud for the 1997 season. He first stood at Pin Oak's stud farm in Kentucky before being sent to

Gardiner Farms George Ryerson Gardiner, (April 25, 1917 – December 7, 1997) was a Toronto businessman, philanthropist and co-founder of the Gardiner Museum, the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to ceramic art. Early years Gardiner was born in Tor ...

in Caledon, Ontario.http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/stallion-directory/stallion.aspx?stallion_no=1356631 Peaks and Valleys at the Thoroughbred Times Interactive Stallion Directory Among his offspring are multiple U.S. stakes winner Dollar Bill (b. 1998), Zurbaran (b. 1999) who earned Horse of the Year honors in India, and Pinpoint (b. 2002), winner of the Sir Barton Stakes.

References

{{reflist 1992 racehorse births 2012 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Canada Sovereign Award winners Canadian Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Thoroughbred family A29