And They’re Off!

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Although Big Brown failed to snag the Triple Crown on Saturday, I was lucky enough to spend the day at Belmont Park with 90,000 of his biggest fans. And while most of the betters were checking odds, sizing up jockeys and listening for tips, I disregarded all strategy and superstition and decided to bet on what I know best . . . names.

Mobo, Thor’s Echo, Sharp Susan, Dr. W, Too Tough Pete and Zaftig were just a few of the horses that drew my attention (and my cash). The race book was filled with goodies.

But how, and why, do they come up with such creative names?

In order to race, a thoroughbred must have a unique handle. Names win approval by the registrar of the Jockey Club, who receives approximately 60,000 submissions per year. 1/3 of those, however, are rejected. Names can breach a litany of requirements, such as having more than 18 characters, conflicting with copyright, having vulgar or obscene meaning, or having phonetic similarity to an existing name.

And if you want to name your racehorse after your grandfather or your favorite actor, you better make sure that person is on board. According to the Jockey Club, those submissions must be accompanied by the written permission of their namesakes.

One can see how finding a unique moniker amongst 450,000 active names in the Jockey Club might require a bit of strategy. Still, most of the titles given to thoroughbreds do hold special meaning. One of the most commonly used ways to formulate a unique name is to draw from the horse’s pedigree. Sea Biscuit was named after his father Hard Tack (both types of crackers eaten by sailors), Street Sense was named after his sire Street Cry, and Inside Information was a filly by Private Account and out of the mare Pure Profit.

Thinking of naming a horse of your own? Check with the Jockey Club to see if it has already been taken!

Contributed by: Maghan Cook