I have been writing the story about how Kentucky Derby horses got their names since 2001, so I’ve looked at a lot of Thoroughbred names and talked to a lot of owners about how they decide to choose them. On a recent trip to Keeneland, I might have found my all-time favorite: Somelikeithotbrown is by Big Brown, out of Marilyn Monroan. It’s got it all, big nods to the pedigree, pop culture, clever, funny, a touch goofy. The horse was bred in New York, but the name combines Kentucky’s favorite sandwich with Marilyn Monroe’s most popular movie.
Sadly, Somelikeithotbrown is not running in the Derby this year. But this year’s owners also depended heavily on pedigrees when it came to the sometimes difficult game of names.
Tiz the Bomb, for example, was sired by Hit It A Bomb out of Tiz the Key. Mo Donegal’s sire is Uncle Mo, and he’s owned by Donegal Racing. Smile Happy is by Runhappy out of Pleasant Smile.
Easy peasy, you might say. Anyone could do that. But it’s a little more complicated. First of all, the Jockey Club, which registers all Thoroughbreds, has some rules, namely that two active racehorse can’t have the same name. With 450,000 names in the database, you’d be surprised how often names get rejected. Once a horse stops racing, the name is put back into circulation. Other rules include a limit of 18 characters, no famous people, nothing vulgar, and nothing already in rotation.
Pedigrees make a good starting point. That’s why there are so many in this year’s race: Classic Causewayhearkens back to his famous sire, Giant’s Causeway; Crown Prideis by Reach the Crown out of Emmy’s Pride; Charge It’s dam is Debit My Account. Summer is Tomorrow is by Summer Front, out of Always Tomorrow. Pioneer of Medina is by Pioneerof the Nile out of Lights of Medina. Ethereal Road is by Quality Road.
One word names are also popular. Simplification does both, thanks to her dam, Simply Confection.
Epicenter, one of the early favorites, is one such name. David Fiske, the manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds said he and owner Ron Winchell just liked the name, although Fiske admits that as a native Californian he is more preoccupied with epicenters than others.
Other owners use their own experiences for inspiration. Jeff Drown certainly has one. His horse, Zandon, is named for an elk-hunting guide out west.
“It’s simple, I’m a hunter and I go to Colorado to a place fairly often, and the hunting guide is named Zandon,” Drown said. “It’s a lucky place, and I thought it sounded like a cool horse name.”
Drown said he tries to use life experiences as much as possible when naming horses, or he takes his kids’ ideas, like the name Hold Your Tickets.
By the way, the real-life Zandon is coming to Derby, Drown said.
Owner Al Gold has told various news outlets that he underwent the Cyberknife technique to treat his prostate cancer, minimizing the impact on his daily life. It worked, and in thanks, he named his horse Cyberknife.
Some of White Abarrio’s owners are originally from Abarrio, Spain, and named the pale gray for their hometown.
Taiba is actually a nickname for the city of Medina, said Troy Mulligan, president of Zedan Racing, which is owned by Amr Zedan of Saudi Arabia. Zedan was raised in Medina.
Owners Barry and Joni Butzow named Zozos after Zozo’s, their favorite restaurant on the island of St. John’s in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where they spend a portion of the winters.
Former Walmart CEO Bill Simon named Barber Road after the street that his wife Tammy grew up on in Seven Springs, N.C.
How about the experience of an after dinner drink? That’s why owner John Fort named Tawny Port after his favorite barrel-aged Portuguese beverage. “It has a very distinctive flavor,” he said.
Messier is a Canada-bred contender trying to match the championship mettle of another Canadian, former NHL star Mark Messier.
And sometimes, a horse’s personality shines through. Happy Jack’s stable name or nickname was always Jack, and he was just a happy horse, said Calumet farm manager Eddie Kane. So naming him was easy.
