Interesting articles about horse naming-who knew

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/horse-racing-game-explain-rules-behind-wacky-names-article-1.2626489

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4634884

There is a registry organization which approves the names and had rules it follows, before approving names.
I could not use my handle for example, because it contains a number under 30, which can confuse bettors, post position mainly. I just don't understand when they're named reading these things. Are they named as newborns or when purchased or when ready to race?

Quote: onenickelmiracle

Are they named as newborns or when purchased or when ready to race?

Zenyatta's second foal, Ziconic, appears to have been named just after his first birthday. The Zenyatta site's blog refers to him as "13Z" on April 1, but Ziconic by the end of July.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

Zenyatta's second foal, Ziconic, appears to have been named just after his first birthday. The Zenyatta site's blog refers to him as "13Z" on April 1, but Ziconic by the end of July.

that's so weird having an animal without a name. Guess they're not pets but still they're certainly not slaughter animals. I guess it's the way it is, perhaps it's superstition.

I'm at the Meadowlands almost every week, dealing poker for my pub league.

A few months ago, I noticed that a lot of horses had the word "Hanover" in their name, so I asked one of the knowledgeable track guys about it.

He says that once a horse gets a name, it's nearly impossible to change it. Or at least very expensive.

The horses with that word in their name were bread and raised by Hanover Farms - a well known horse breeding place.

It makes me wonder if they are well known because of that little free advertising in all their horses names, or because they have a good reputation....

Kills the variety BC there is a character limit. I like unique names just for laughs. There has been a horse winning a few races lately, Moonshineandmonkeys. Great name. My all white cat is called Moonshine, so I noticed. Harness racing though, so blah, boring to watch.

Well here's the thing, just talking only about Thoroughbreds - not Standardbreds or Quarter Horses or Arabians, or whatever, that I don't know about:

Breeding & selling, buying & owning them are high variance gambles that everyone goes into knowing the business will result in many animals that you'd informally nickname "Whoops" and "Ooops" and "Ouch" and "Oh Sh*t" and "Ugh" and "Sickly Little Slug" and "Lazy Oat Eater" and "WhatTheHellKindOfMutantCritterIsThis." And then at auction nobody wants to bid diddly squat on that clumsy runt or before even getting that far you have to suck it up and admit they aren't even worth trying to take to auction. After putting out a whole lot of money at the beginning for the stud fees and a year in the life of the broodmares and vets and feeding and pampering them along, it generally isn't until they are yearlings when it is first possible to start making some reasonable guesses which ones might have a chance to be something, But many won't be anything but a four legged hole into which money was sunk, and there will be a lot of those in order to get some potentially good or at least possibly useful ones out of the crop.

Quote: Keeneland press release

LEXINGTON, KY (Aug. 3, 2016) – Keeneland announced today that 4,479 yearlings have been cataloged for the 73rd annual Keeneland September Yearling Sale...

It is like you play a high variance big denomination machine in a casino, where you know a likely result of any spin is to lose that bet, you push the button a lot of times as you get many worthless crap hands and some wimpy little ones that hardly even pay your bet back. But you grit your teeth and by cycling through a lot of coin making many bets you expect to eventually hit some flushes and quads here and there that help to make up for enough of the others to slow down the rate you burn your money, and make it to eventually get those few big fat royals that you depend on to eventually pay for all the ones that miss. You take a picture of that draw that became a beautiful hand, but you make an awful lot of forgettable bets along the way, and nobody is in any hurry to memorialize the others that just ate up your credits.

Quote: Blood-Horse

(September 16, 2016) Keeneland reported there were 1,006 yearlings that went unsold at the September yearling sale...

So after a year of shoveling buckets of money they are still only children, but you head to one of the many yearling auctions with the ones you think could be the most likely out of your crop to attract some buyers trying to pick out future winning adult athletes. Now, if you go to a puppy seller, do you want that cute one in the window that's acting nice to be going home with you with the name of the puppy breeder's girlfriend or lawyer or favorite whiskey? Or would you maybe prefer that it gets a name y'all decide YOU will like if you're going to buy it from PuppyWorld?

Quote: Blood-Horse

(September 18, 2016) Mineshaft Filly Brings $410,000 at Keeneland...

Now, if you're going to the auction prepared to spend six figures or sometimes even seven to take her to your farm/stable, to grow to maturity in your trainer's care, committing yourself to constantly writing big fat checks to pay for everything this filly will be needing along the way, working toward what you hope will be glorious triumphs competing for you wearing your "team" colors to the finish line (called "silks" worn like a personal family symbol for racing owners) in front of tens of thousands at the track and millions of TV eyeballs ... then you're really expecting to be able to name her after your daughter or your best friend's dear departed dog or your bartender or your favorite poker hand if you damn well feel like it.

But 'till after your half-million dollar check clears making it certain what human family this filly will be financially owning, she'll stay something like "HIP937." Most often the transaction and name submission to the registry happens as a yearling, and if she makes it to the races from there the newly anointed "QueensFullaScotch" or whatever she's officially going to be named will appear at the track for the very first time either late in her two year old season or sometime at age three.

If she's one of those many expensive failures that looks like she was born with an anchor chained to her tail, never sells and never runs a lick, maybe she'll become a neurotic pet (they tend to be high-strung emotionally volatile animals), without any need to involve the Jockey Club and their registry. And end up living in someones big yard, and get named "Cat" or "Cow" or "Prozac" or "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" or "Gate Number 3.14" by the kid taking care of her.

I've always wondered how Cannonero 2 came about. I've never seen another horse with a 2 or a Jr after his name.

My Uncle used to have connections to the NY racing scene at Belmont and Aqueduct, so I got to spend a little time on the backstretch. It seemed to me every horse has a nickname, as well as its racing name.

Anyone remember a southern California horse named Mortar Forker? Seems like the early '80s to my memory. Imagine announcing that race.

The Jockey Club did eventually make them change the name.

I recall a horse named Wrecked Em.

As in "here comes rectum on the outside". Cracked up at that one.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I'm at the Meadowlands almost every week, dealing poker for my pub league.

A few months ago, I noticed that a lot of horses had the word "Hanover" in their name, so I asked one of the knowledgeable track guys about it.

He says that once a horse gets a name, it's nearly impossible to change it. Or at least very expensive.

The horses with that word in their name were bread and raised by Hanover Farms - a well known horse breeding place.

It makes me wonder if they are well known because of that little free advertising in all their horses names, or because they have a good reputation....

Hanover was a champion in the very last years of the 1800s. I don't remember how but he was related to Sir Barton, the first Triple Crown winner about twenty years later. When I was a teen I committed to memory all the names of the Kentucky Derby winners. I'd be hard pressed to do that now at age 60, but I clearly remember Cannonade winning the 100th running of the Derby, by a slow 2:04 on a fast track. There were 23 runners that year. Little Current won the next two legs, a fact that must be burned in my memory. Cannonade lived to his early-20s.

Quote: billryan

It seemed to me every horse has a nickname, as well as its racing name.

Yeah true, that is common. Not just on the NY circuit. Like Baffert and his people at DMR/HOL/SA taking to informally calling his eventual Derby winner Real Quiet by the nickname "Fish" instead. But I think it might happen most with those who end up getting sent down from any original dreams into the claiming ranks, down, down, cheaper price, uh okay, not paying the stall rent here with this one, sent down to new trainer's barn running at cheaper tracks, get claimed for different ownership, and then maybe re-claimed by yet another new outfit next time out... And nobody knows or gives a lick of reverence for the original owner's grandpa's fishing hole or something in the fight song of his alma mater.

Quote: Johnzimbo

I recall a horse named Wrecked Em.

As in "here comes rectum on the outside". Cracked up at that one.

Ha! I don't remember that one. That's funny. Made me laugh.

Quote: DrawingDead

Yeah true, that is common. Not just on the NY circuit. Like Baffert and his people at DMR/HOL/SA taking to informally calling his eventual Derby winner Real Quiet by the nickname "Fish" instead. But I think it might happen most with those who end up getting sent down from any original dreams into the claiming ranks, down, down, cheaper price, uh okay, not paying the stall rent here with this one, sent down to new trainer's barn running at cheaper tracks, get claimed for different ownership, and then maybe re-claimed by yet another new outfit next time out... And nobody knows or gives a lick of reverence for the original owner's grandpa's fishing hole or something in the fight song of his alma mater.

This has NOTHING to do with what you're talking about. But as long as we're telling stories. In my younger years I worked for the Racing Form. My last store was in Irvine and we sometimes congregated and chit-chatted. I remember a groom, can't remember his name, but he would stop there often and pick up two bottles of malt liquor. For awhile he was telling me about a 2-year old. That's all he could talk about was this 2-year old he was working and taking care of. I cannot remember what barn right now, because I'm old, but it later changed to another barn. Oh, I think maybe the groom's name was Charlie. I dunno. Sometimes I paid for the malt liquor and gave him a Racing Form. But he talked and talked about this 2-year old he was working, he was so excited about him. He hadn't raced yet so no one knew him.

BERTRANDO!!!

What a monster. Bertrando to the front, the race is over. Some just amazing fractions. One of my all time sentimental favorites, him and Best Pal. Tears in my eyes when Best Pal died. Best Pal was such a crowd favorite, and he knew it. I loved those two horses.

Quote: bobbartop

Ha! I don't remember that one. That's funny. Made me laugh.

Some classics...

https://youtu.be/BpSmprqptSk


Hoof Hearted...

https://youtu.be/ULj84C1Fd2Y

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Some classics...

https://youtu.be/BpSmprqptSk


Hoof Hearted...

https://youtu.be/ULj84C1Fd2Y

Oh that was great, My Wife Knows Everything, never seen that before, thanks, I bookmarked it.

I've heard of Hoof Hearted before. Still laughing. That link's not work, though.

I wonder if numbers are not allowed, if sound alike names are out, any word rhyming with a number. Four-door, five-live, six-sticks, seven-heaven, 8-bait, 9-dine, ten-hen.

HRN description: Thirty Six Red

Equibase profile: Thirty Six Red





The Youtube of the win in the Wood includes the entire ABC broadcast, with the race starting more than halfway in at about 10:50 .

Numbers above 30 are allowed.

But his middle name was Six.

Equibase profile:
The One
(CORRECTED history: First sold at Keeneland for $575,000 then resold at Fasig-Tipton auction for $230,000 3 yrs. later, but never raced.)

The articles mentioned the numbers were so names weren't confused with post positions. Thirty six won't confuse anyone.

Quote: onenickelmiracle

I wonder if numbers are not allowed, if sound alike names are out, any word rhyming with a number. Four-door, five-live, six-sticks, seven-heaven, 8-bait, 9-dine, ten-hen.

These are fine based on checking the registry.
https://www.registry.jockeyclub.com/registry.cfm?page=namesrch

So it won't. And neither would "The One" if he had raced. Nor would any of the many others that have had all sorts of numbers, small and large, in their names in some way. Like Twelve Degrees or Twelve Dollars There is judgement involved. But I'm not so sure about that last one, for someone who researches their equine investments from a seat at the bar all afternoon. Oh well.

Though I can't begin to imagine how Bob Baffert (with Mike Pegram) got the name of his first major stakes winner "Isitingood" by them. But I saw him get his first significant stakes win (in the Longacres Mile) while wondering before the race who the hell this guy was that showed up in Seattle with this whole posse of suits around him (and his horse with the obscene moniker) in the paddock. Since not long after that, nobody acquainted with horse racing has wondered who he is. Baffert & Pegram, that is, more so than the horse with the off-color prankster name that won the Mile at Emerald Downs.

Some are obviously cooked up with some mischief or gag effect in future race calls in mind. Here's a few like that I have handy (from a collection of race calls by Tom Durkin in NY):







I know there have been some that were cooked up as tongue-twisters to mess with the track-announcer/race-caller, but I'm drawing a blank on remembering some examples of that.

Quote: DrawingDead

But I saw him get his first significant stakes win (in the Longacres Mile) while wondering before the race who the hell this guy was that showed up in Seattle with this whole posse of suits around him (and his horse with the obscene moniker) in the paddock.

I lived minutes from Los Alamitos so I always saw this guy with the white hair training Quarter Horses. Back in those days Los Alamitos ran 6 days a week and there was enough gambling money around to still support harness racing and the main thoroughbred meet. A half hour after the last race at Los Alamitos at night, the chalk board with the waiting list would start filling up with initials at the card clubs in Gardena. Baffert was just another name at the Quarters, I never imagined him turning into a TB star. Seems like a lifetime ago. I guess it was.

You guys probably saw this before but in case you didn't I hope you'll enjoy it. This is the 2013 Brooklyn Handicap. Keep your eye on Calidoscopio. Which will be difficult, because for most of the race he was not on the screen. Into the Turn he is 30 lengths out of it, in the slop. He is a 10 year old and I'm pretty sure he is either from Chile or raced in Chile as a youngster. They do things different down there. I remember reading about him when this race went off over three years ago. I hate to use the word "amazing", but this was amazing.

Quote: bobbartop

I lived minutes from Los Alamitos so I always saw this guy with the white hair training Quarter Horses. Back in those days Los Alamitos ran 6 days a week and there was enough gambling money around to still support harness racing and the main thoroughbred meet. A half hour after the last race at Los Alamitos at night, the chalk board with the waiting list would start filling up with initials at the card clubs in Gardena. Baffert was just another name at the Quarters, I never imagined him turning into a TB star. Seems like a lifetime ago. I guess it was.

I still don't get what was with all those suit-wearing guys he had with him in the paddock that day. Who works with horses and wears a suit in the paddock, other than (sometimes maybe) the head of the operation? Mike Pegram doesn't even wear a suit from what I've seen of him since (the guy made his money on a bunch of Seattle McDonald's franchises for cryin' out loud) and he was the bankroll for his operation. That's nothing much about nothing, but it was just weird to me at the time. Wish I could say I read it as some kind of clue before the race; I think he paid something like > $12 on the nose. But I did start paying attention to the white haired jokester down in SoCal, and horses running under silks in McDonald's colors.

Quote: DrawingDead

But I did start paying attention to the white haired jokester down in SoCal, and horses running under silks in McDonald's colors.

lol I bet you did :-)

There is a horse named Garlic, but the most interesting name that makes me laugh is a horse named Peanutbutter Shake.

Then you'll be saddened to learn that Sneaky Fudge Face has been scratched from Race 4 at Belmont. Since he has average earnings of $112 per start in 11 lifetime tries, I guess he had better things to do. But you could still hook up with an Elegant Supermodel in Race 8.

Quote: DrawingDead

Then you'll be saddened to learn that Sneaky Fudge Face has been scratched from Race 4 at Belmont. Since he has average earnings of $112 per start in 11 lifetime tries, I guess he had better things to do. But you could still hook up with an Elegant Supermodel in Race 8.

"Sneaky Fudge Face" might be one of the best horse names ever.

Quote: DRich

"Sneaky Fudge Face" might be one of the best horse names ever.

This...

https://youtu.be/MRtf1YuVGIo

Another great race call...

https://youtu.be/y14dnfAdr54