By Liane Crossley
Special to NKyTribune
Most Kentucky Derby winners have majestic names worthy of their place in history. Others not so much.
This year’s prospects with qualifying Kentucky Derby points represent the usual array of monikers – from clever to curious and from powerful to perplexing. (Horses with qualifying points earned in designated races are given preference to start in the 2015 Kentucky Derby and are listed in boldface in this article.)
Naming a racehorse is far more difficult than christening a pet or a child. All Thoroughbred names must comply with The Jockey Club standards that include an 18-character limit and restrictions on previous names. Famous names such as Secretariat may never be reused, but lesser-known titles can be recycled under certain guidelines. Names can be reserved for up to a year before being matched with a horse.
Conjuring up the perfect moniker is such a challenge that many horses carry the silliest of labels. To avoid such embarrassment, Thoroughbred owners routinely reach out to family, friends and anyone else with reasonable suggestions. Some offer prizes as added incentive for coming up with the final registered name.
Sampling of contenders
Some names lend themselves to wordplay that results in catchy headlines. Calculator added (pun intended) himself to the list of Kentucky Derby hopefuls when he won a California prep race in early January. His moniker typifies witty usage of pedigree. His sire is In Summation and his dam is Back to Basics, a daughter of Alphabet Soup.
Another contender whose title reflects his lineage is Barbados. He is a son of Speightstown, a major town in that Caribbean country.
Owners of last year’s Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome incorporated his birth state and his appearance to coin his title. (Chrome is equine slang for white markings.) This season, the glimmering gray Frosted looks like his label that has double meaning since the colt’s dam is Fast Cookie.
Stables such as historic Claiborne Farm in Paris incorporate themes. The operation famously uses one-syllable words to reflect a horse’s pedigree, for example their 1984 Kentucky Derby winner Swale (moist land), a son of 1977 Triple Crown hero Seattle Slew (swamp.)
Donegal Racing merges an Irish slant with its runners like Paddy O’Prado, third in the 2010 Kentucky Derby. Donegal’s 3-year-olds in 2015 include Rock Shandy, a son of Lemon Drop Kid named after a popular Irish citrus beverage, and Danny Boy, named for the Irish folk song. Conquest Stables likes to keep the stable name in their horses’ name. Thus, one of their star runners with Kentucky Derby points is Conquest Typhoon, a son of Stormy Atlantic.
‣ Limit of 18 letters including spaces and punctuation
‣ Famous names like Secretariat can never be reused
‣ Previous names may be used under certain guidelines
‣ English translation of foreign names must be furnished to The Jockey Club
‣ Deadline to apply for name is Feb 1 of 2-year-old year
‣ After deadline fee is $100
‣ Names can be reserved for up to one year
‣ Names can be changed if a horse has not yet raced
‣ Names of living people can be used only with written permission
‣ Names with obvious commercial, artistic or creative significance are not allowed
‣ Names considered poor taste by The Jockey Club are not allowed
Names can be requested without a fee until Feb. 1 of a Thoroughbred’s 2-year-old year. After that, the charge is $100. Thoroughbreds sold as racing prospects at public auctions are rarely named but Far Right was an exception when he stepped into the auction ring as Crowley’s Notion at the 2013 Keeneland January sale. Renamed before his first career start, Far Right became a Kentucky Derby contender when he won the first in a series of Arkansas prep races in January.
Owners often choose foreign languages as a method of obtaining an idea that has already been used in English. Carpe Diem—Latin for “seize the day”—and Ocho Ocho Ocho—Spanish for his 888 number when he was sold at auction—are prime examples.
Kentucky Derby winners must be bold and confident, and what is more bold and confident than a Daredevil? The colt’s strong label stands alone but is more charming considering his pedigree. His is a son of More Than Ready and the mare Chasethewildwind.
Names of living people may not be used without the person’s written permission, but abbreviated or nicknames are more easily allowed. This year’s Triple Crown contenders could include Mr. Z, who races for Ahmed Zayat. In 2013 Bodemeister made Olympic gold medal skier Bode Miller proud by finishing second in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Past winners
Ever since Aristides won the inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875, the list of Derby winners has included a vast array of names. The most well-known Derby hero—and arguably the most well-known racehorse, period—is Secretariat who reached legendary status after sweeping the Triple Crown in 1973. The other ten Triple Crown winners include equally rugged and concise titles such as Affirmed, Assault, War Admiral, Count Fleet and Citation.
For brevity, Orb joined Zev as the winner with the shortest name when he took the Run for the Roses in 2013. His name, which means sphere, was derived from his sire Malibu Moon. The previous year, I’ll Have Another was in the Derby winner’s circle with a name that reportedly referred to his owner’s taste for cookies. Animal Kingdom seemed like an usual moniker for the 2011 Derby winner, but the calling card was simply a shout out to his sire Leroidesanimaux, whose name translates to “king of the animals.”
Similarly, Super Saver (2010) and Mine That Bird (2009) had labels to reflect their parentage. Super Saver’s dam is Supercharger and Mine That Bird resulted from the union of Birdstone and Mining My Own.
And so it goes all the way back to Aristides—runners that lived up to their names and others who outran their less than stellar titles. The preliminary list of this year’s contenders promises to continue the trend and the time-honored mystique of Thoroughbred names.
Liane Crossley is a Lexington-based freelance writer who writes regularly for KyForward.com, where this first appeared.