Levee was a

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

thoroughbred foaled in 1953. She was an accomplished stakes winner and the dam of the champion race mare Shuvee.

Race career

Levee raced in a time before the current US stakes race grading system, so while she is technically not a graded stakes winner, many of the races she won are now graded. Her first stakes win came in the 1955 Selima Stakes during her two-year-old season. At three, she won the Monmouth Oaks after placing third several times in the Alabama Stakes, Acorn Stakes, Test Stakes and Prioress Stakes. Levee then won the

Coaching Club American Oaks The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course i ...

, described as "America's toughest stakes for 3-year-old fillies" by a neck from Princess Turia, and the

Beldame Stakes The Beldame Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960. The race is held annually near the beginning of October at Belmont Park and curr ...

both of which are now grade 1 stakes. In the latter race, she "outbattled" the

Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegrass ...

-owned Amoret in the stretch to win by half a length.

Breeding career

Levee was a very successful broodmare. She produced 11 foals, 7 of which were winners with 4 being stakes winners. The most notable was the mare Shuvee who was a

Filly Triple Crown The Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown, is a set of three horse races in the United States which is open to three-year-old fillies. Presently the only official Triple Tiara is the three race series in N ...

(now called Triple Tiara) winner, a two-time Older Mare Champion and the only female to win the

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race, held at the Saratoga Race Course in the United States, that is open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fal ...

. Levee also produced, Nalee, a 1960 filly by Nashua who won several stakes including the

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes The George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (known as the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes from 1952 through 2019 and first run as the Pimlico Oaks) is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of mile ...

and

Santa Ynez Stakes The Santa Ynez Stakes is a Listed American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track held annually in early January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. The event current ...

. She also produced Royal Gunner a 1962 colt by

Royal Charger Royal Charger (1942–26 November 1961) was a British Thoroughbred that was successful as a horse racing, racehorse, but much more important as a Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. Background Royal Charger was a chestnut horse sired by the import ...

, who won the Cornhusker Handicap, and A TS Olie, a 1967 filly by Mongo who won the

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Filly, fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at ...

. Levee was named Kentucky Broodmare of the Year in 1970. She produced her last foal, a filly by

Arts and Letters Arts and letters is a historical and traditional term for arts and literature, implying a comprehensive appreciation or study of visual arts, performing arts, and literary arts or literature. The concept is similar to the liberal arts and has been ...

named Artful Levee, in 1973.Horses&cf= Levee Progeny
Retrieved: March 18, 2012

References

{{reflist 1953 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Thoroughbred family 9-f