Why Do Racehorses Have Weird Names?

Why are Racehorses Named the Way They are?

Racehorse names are subject to strict rules and regulations with naming conventions for horses differing from country to country. The main governing bodies that regulate racehorse names are the Jockey Club in the US and the British Horseracing Authority in the UK. Some rules remain the same across the board. Here’s some of the basic rules for naming horses:

• No longer than 18 characters – with punctuation marks included. That’s why many horses’ names look like a run on sentence, e.g. Maythehorsebewithu, or Eighteencharacters. The British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) also specifies that names cannot be longer than 7 syllables (too much of a tongue twister).
• Names have to be somewhat politically correct. No vulgarity allowed or any names made in poor taste (although some do tread this fine line, and fly under the noses of the regulators, like Go Dick Go, No Fat Chicks, or Hoof Hearted, which can make a fool out of racing commentators).
• Names cannot be used as a way of advertising. (The BHA states that a horse may be registered with a name of “commercial significance” provided they give written permission).
• Names of real living persons cannot be used, unless that person gives their express written permission (so you won’t be seeing many horses named after celebrities, unless you’re best pals with them). Fictional characters, on the other hand, are fair game as we’ve seen horses named Thomas Shelby and Obi Wan Kenobi.
• Names cannot contain horse-related words like filly, mare, or stallion and they cannot start or end with words like first or second.

Can Two Horses Have the Same Name?

No two racehorses can have the same name. Not only that, no two horses can have similar sounding names either. All racehorses must have unique names. And to make naming conventions for horses even more difficult, a retired horse cannot have their name reused until at least 20 years have passed.

According to Weatherbys, the British Horse Racing Authority, around 3,000 names are protected across the globe, with around 250,000 names in current usage. With over a quarter of a million unique names in use, owners have to think outside the box when it comes to baptising their horse.

What's in a Horse's Name? It's a Family Thing

With so many rules, how do racehorse owners come up with such weird names? It may surprise you to know that owners don’t open a dictionary and pick words at random, but they do need to be creative to make sure they abide by all the naming rules.

Some names have to be kept in the family, especially if there’s a great legacy involved. If you were to ever place a bet on a horse based on its name, this would be the time to do it.

Blushing John was sired by Blushing Groom, both horses earning a combined $1,955,234 in prize money.

The famous Kauto star won over 20+ races (including winning the Cheltenham Festival several times) and was sired by Village Star and his dam was Kauto Relka.

Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe Winner Urban Sea gave us Sea the Stars which won the 2000 Guineas, the Derby, and the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe like his mother. And then, Sea the Stars in turn sired Sea the Moon and Baaeed, which one six races undefeated in 2021.

Not only are names and words passed down, but whole themes as well. For example, Odor in the Court was sired by Judge Smells. It’s good to keep the family tradition going.

However, many owners believe that giving a horse a silly name dooms it to failure, with superstition leading them to give heroic sounding titles. Some owners will register a name they deem destined for victory before they even have a horse, only keeping it for those with great potential. For example, the owners had reserved the name Camelot way before the actual winning horse was born.

Do Racehorses Have Normal Names?

Horse names used to be pretty simple, like the winner of the Grand National in 1849 was called Peter Simple. But racehorses do have other, shorter names. Trainers will give their horses nicknames, as their registered name can sometimes be such a mouthful.

A History of Racehorse Names in the UK

Have racehorse names always been such a mouthful? We looked at the Grand National winners all the way back to 1839 to see if there were any trends.

From the data gathered, it seems that horse names have always been whacky. However, in recent decades, horse names have definitely been getting longer, with the average now reaching almost 13 characters – that’s half the alphabet in one name. Will it go so far that the average will reach the 18 character limit in the future?

Memorable Racehorse Names

• Azertyuiop – named after the first row of letters in a French keyboard
• Red Rum – a palindrome for “murder”
• Another Horse – a brilliant way of confusing commentators
• Nashwan
• Beef or Salmon
• Comply or Die
• Persian Punch
• Mucho Macho Man

If one thing’s for sure, it’s that the world would be a much more boring place with boring horse names.

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