She was sired by the European Champion Two-Year-Old Storm Bird, out of the Affirmed mare Morning Devotion, making her a half-sister to the Sun Chariot Stakes winner Red Slippers.

Her reputation obviously preceded her, as she was made 1/2 favourite for a fifteen-runner maiden race at Salisbury which she "easily" won by three lengths.

[3] Two weeks later at Newbury she led all the way to win a minor stakes event by seven lengths at odds of 2/11 in "impressive" style.

The idea was that the warmer conditions would allow horses to develop more quickly, giving them an advantage in the early part of the European Flat-racing season.

[7] She finished strongly but failed by a short head to catch the Irish-trained filly Las Meninas who set a race record of 1:36.71.

[9] The filly coped well with the soft ground and "driving rain", staying on strongly to win by two and a half lengths and become the first Classic winner for Godolphin.

[11] Almost a year after her last start, Balanchine re-appeared as the odds-on favourite for the Prince of Wales's Stakes (then a Group Two race) at Royal Ascot but finished fifth of the six runners behind Muhtarram, being eased down in the closing stages.

[19] Balanchine has been bred to many of the world's leading stallions, including Gone West, Seeking The Gold and Elusive Quality but has never produced a runner of anything like her own ability.