Leviathan

Leviathan (1823-1846) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won 16 of 21 starts before injury prompted his retirement. Imported into Tennessee in 1830, he was the leading sire in North America of 1837, 1838, 1839, 1843 and 1848, and also finished second five times. He was also an important broodmare sire, with modern descendants through the female line including Affirmed, Alydar and Dance Smartly. Background Leviathan was a chestnut stallion of a "peculiar shade of deep red or mahogany" with a narrow blaze as his sole white marking. He was bred by John Painter and foaled in 1823 at Dean's Hill stud in Staffordshire. He was sired by Muley, who won two of five starts in his racing career. Muley originally received little support at stud until Leviathan helped establish his reputation. Muley would subsequently sire three classic winners: Margrave, Vespa and Little Wonder. Leviathan's dam was an unnamed daughter of Windle. Originally named Mezereon, the horse was renamed Leviathan after he was sold to Thomas Giffard at age three. The name reflected his size of , then considered very large for a Thoroughbred, and build. A later stallion advertisement said, "His shoulder-blades are longer, more capacious... than in any other large horse; and, in fact I have seen no horse 15 hands high, whose back is shorter... The sweep in the hind-quarter... is incomparably greater than in any other horse that has been offered to the citizens of Tennessee... He has fine withers, great depth of brisket, great depth of flank, great frame; great length and substance in the bones and muscles of all his quarters, with the very best adaptation of all the parts; and though some object to the too great length of his neck, I am satisfied that seeming defect arises from the great obliquity of his shoulders... The whole assemblage of parts gives him, if not the most beautiful, at least the most grand and majestic appearance." Racing career Leviathan (then named Mezereon) raced twice at age two for Painter. He won his first start, a six-furlong sweepstakes at Burton-on-Trent. He then finished second to Little Bo-peep at Wolverhampton.