It’s hard to imagine a filly or mare in the modern era embarking on a career remotely resembling that of the Hall of Fame race mare Shuvee.

Born in 1966, the remarkable daughter of Nashua ran 44 times over the course of four years and is perhaps most famous for her back-to-back wins in the Jockey Club Gold Cup against males, a race then held at the testing distance of two miles.

Shuvee also made a habit of winning exactly one race at historic Saratoga Race Course every summer. Maybe it was her own special way of commemorating the first victory of her career, which came in a maiden special weight at Saratoga on Aug. 20, 1968. Every summer thereafter, Shuvee would arrive at Saratoga and come away with the winner’s purse from a major stakes race; as a 3-year-old, she won the Alabama Stakes by four decisive lengths, and as an older mare she returned to Saratoga in 1970 and 1971 to record back-to-back wins in the Diana Handicap.

Shuvee wins the Alabama. (NYRA-Bob Coglianese/BloodHorse)

Although nowadays the Diana is a turf race, in Shuvee’s time it was a major dirt event that annually attracted strong fields of top-class competitors. Shuvee, always ready for a fight and rarely one to fall short in a close finish, seemed to relish her Diana appearances as opportunities to showcase her talent and determination in front of large, adoring crowds.

Certainly she put on a show in the 1970 Diana. A large field of 12 starters turned out for the 1 1/8-mile race, with the Delaware Handicap winner Obeah the slight favorite in the wagering over Shuvee, who had disappointed with fifth-place finishes in her two previous starts.

But returning to Saratoga seemed to reawaken Shuvee’s competitive spirit, and her performance was nothing short of tremendous. Officially, the Diana was contested over a sloppy track, but the racing surface was not universally even; James T. Quinn, writing in the Aug. 25, 1970, edition of The Troy Record in Troy, N.Y., explained how “chartcaller Don Fair advised that the track, which was hit hard by Sunday rains, was fast along the rail, sloppy a little further out, and muddy toward the outside, and this might have affected the running.”

Certainly it was less than ideal for Shuvee, who was reserved in seventh place early on under jockey Ron Turcotte while racing wide “in order not to get mud kicked in her face.” Meanwhile, longshot Dark Emerald—carrying just 109 pounds, 11 less than Shuvee—was getting a more favorable trip closer to the lead, while Obeah was also within striking range.

As the field rolled around the far turn, Turcotte decided that it was time for Shuvee to make her move, and the filly responded with a steady rally that carried her into contention at the top of the stretch. But Dark Emerald, under her light weight assignment, had sprinted to the lead and gallantly had her sights set on beating the favorites to the finish line.

Obeah tried her best for the bettors that had made her the favorite, but ran out of steam in the final furlong; Native Partner, another longshot, came running late to edge her for third place.

That left Dark Emerald and Shuvee to settle the race between them, and close to home it appeared that the longshot would prevail. But Shuvee, digging deep, found something extra and stretched out her neck in the final strides to edge Dark Emerald in a driving finish.

One year later, the field was smaller but the stakes were higher as Shuvee returned to Saratoga to defend her Diana title. In the interim, she had added several more prestigious stakes victories to her record (including her first Jockey Club Gold Cup), and the purse money from a first- or second-place finish in the Diana would be enough to make her the highest-earning filly or mare in North American racing history.

With just four rivals to oppose her, Shuvee was sent off as the even-money favorite in the Diana despite being assigned to carry a hefty 128 pounds. Her only serious competition was expected to come from Double Delta, who had already won five stakes races in 1971, but surely Double Delta wouldn’t be able to actually defeat the likes of Shuvee at Saratoga?

Perhaps not, but Double Delta gave it a good try. When Shuvee failed to get off to the quickest of starts, Double Delta seized the early advantage, sprinting to the lead while carving out slow fractions of :50 flat and 1:14 1/5. This put the late-running Shuvee at a disadvantage, and the situation was made worse by Shuvee’s wide post position draw, which left her racing wide throughout the race.

Rounding the final turn, Turcotte asked Shuvee to tackle the leader, and the veteran mare responded with a move that carried her into second place at the top of the stretch. But Double Delta, still fresh after setting such a slow pace, remained in command of the situation and held the advantage as the real running began.

Shuvee could have settled for second place and still taken home the earnings title, but we can imagine that the thought of claiming such a prestigious record while simultaneously suffering a defeat didn’t fly with Shuvee. Despite her poor trip, and despite carrying 128 pounds, she moved closer to Double Delta and the two mares “were neck and neck passing the three-sixteenths marker, then the eighth pole, and finally the sixteenth marker,” wrote Quinn in the Aug. 24, 1971, edition of The Troy Record. “It was at that point that Shuvee got her nose in front and the two came driving down to the wire as a team as the crowd roared.”

Double Delta tried her best, but Shuvee’s rally was unrelenting, and in the final strides she edged clear to prevail by a neck and boost her career earnings to $801,818, eclipsing the previous record of $783,675 set by the three-time champion filly Cicada.

So memorable was Shuvee’s performance that Quinn was moved to described her as “one of the greatest race mares to ever appear under silk,” a legacy that Shuvee cemented when she won her second Jockey Club Gold Cup later in the season. Her seven-length romp in the latter race showcased her obvious talent and stamina, but it was her victories in the Diana Handicap at Saratoga that showcased her determination and courage.