Dr. Pat Meyers has informed Trot Insider that standout Canadian broodmare Merles Image has passed away at the age of 27.

Bred by Cecil McCooeye and owned by the John Smith Racing Stable, Merles Image a bay daughter of Balanced Image out of the Surge Hanover mare Borne Genius, had been living out her years at Emerald Ridge Farm, the Rockwood, Ont. nursery that is owned and operated by Dr. Meyers and his wife, Anna.

Merles Image’s progeny have proved impressive on the track. Her first six foals that reached the races were sired by Quebec-based stallion Shipps Speed, and each made good showings of themselves.

Crown Image, the first of Merles Image’s offspring, banked over $152,000 during a 158-race career which saw him record 23 wins. The next foal that Merles Image dropped was the $1.1-million earner McCooeye, who was an undefeated 12 for 12 as a freshman and retired with 34 wins from 63 starts. Her third foal was Potato Race, who won 11 of 38 races and banked over $313,000 in his career. Merles Image’s fourth foal was another Quebec Sires Stakes star, Magoo, who won 15 of 28 races and banked over $275,000.

Merles Image’s fifth foal, Local Traffic, won eight of his 12 career races and banked over $77,000. Merles Pearl, her sixth foal, was also a force on the track, as she won 13 of her 23 career races and retired with more than $337,000 in earnings.

Her next two offspring, which were sired by Ontario-based stallions, also left their mark on the Canadian racing industry.

Buckhams Bay, by Ken Warkentin, was a star on the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit. He won six of his 11 career races and three of those victories were in OSS Gold Finals, which helped him amass a career bankroll of $308,000. Merles Image’s last foal, Circles, was another star on the OSS circuit. Circles, by Majestic Son, won seven of her 21 career starts and missed the board on only six occasions. One of her wins came in an OSS Gold Final and she banked $385,000 in career purses.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Merles Image.