The narrative discloses the origins of every competitor's moniker in the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
In a world teeming with shrinking newsrooms, misinformation, and threats, it's a people's champ sight to behold a horse christened by a champion of journalism.
The horse in question? None other than Journalism itself. With the landscape of horse naming remaining as competitive as ever, it's refreshing to see a favorite named after a profession that's close to the heart for its owner Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.
Wellman, a sports journalism enthusiast, took his inspiration from the dam's name, Nepotism, aiming for a moniker ending in "ism". He was the editor of his high school newspaper in his prime and still harbors a deep admiration for responsible and creative journalists.
Luckily, the horse will have plenty of eyes on it, with the industry eagerly anticipating its performance in the Kentucky Derby.
Another horse making its mark is Publisher, co-owned by Bret Jones and Gus Young. While the name doesn't have an intricate story behind it, the simplicity and straight-forwardness of the name is what made it stand out.
Naming a horse, it appears, is an intricate blend of art and science. With over 450,000 names already in the Jockey Club's database, one can hardly predict what names will make it through the arduous approval process. A main rule in the mix is the prohibition on two active racehorses sharing a name.
Remember, Rodriguez, the horse scratched from the Derby? It's not named after the former baseball star – rather, it honors the musician Sixto Rodriguez from the film "Searching for Sugar Man", as reported by the Paulick Report. Meanwhile, the also-eligible horse Baeza is named after a retired Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza.
If you thought the beautiful horse Sandman shares its name with the famous Metallica song, you are not alone. It's a nod, yes, but not entirely accurate. The owner revealed the name was inspired by former Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera, who always entered the game with the "Enter Sandman" song playing.
The list goes on, featuring creative horse names resembling their lineage or inspired by various themes. From Chunk of Gold, who can trace its ancestry to Play for Gold, to Tiztastic and Coal Battle, each name tells a story.
Luxor Cafe, a reference to an Egyptian city, is a clear example of the cultural themes reflected in horse names. Similarly, Flying Mohawk, owned by former MLB player Jayson Werth, pays homage to the Mohawk word for "flying sun burning across the sky", symbolizing its namesake, Karakontie.
Some names, however, are a pure exercise of creativity, like Burnham Square, named after a quilting pattern used by the horse's owner's daughter-in-law.
The process of naming these four-legged champions is anything but trivial, with stables throwing open the names to employees in annual contests. For example, Final Gambit got its name through a Juddmonte Farm contest, and Godolphin, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's global operation, often has two horses running each year, with names chosen through internal deliberation.
Intriguingly, the team at Darley, Godolphin’s American branch, receives a worksheet listing the horses and pedigrees, from which they receive around 1,248 names annually. The winning names are then checked against the Jockey Club and the Sheikh's other operations, eventually yielding around 1,000 approved names after strict screening.
Ultimately, the horse-naming industry sees a mix of tradition and innovation. With names reflecting ancestry, cultural influences, and even pop culture phenomena, each horse's name serves as a unique testament to its legacy. A nod to history, a flair for the extraordinary – it's all part of the horse naming art.
- Aron Wellman, a sports journalism enthusiast, named his thoroughbred horse Journalism, inspired by his admiration for responsible and creative journalists.
- Another noteworthy horse in the industry is Publisher, co-owned by Bret Jones and Gus Young, known for its straightforward name and simple yet catchy appeal.
- Horse naming, as it turns out, is a blend of art and science, with thousands of names already in the Jockey Club's database and strict approval processes in place.
- Each horse's name tells a story, whether it's inspired by its lineage, cultural themes, pop culture phenomena, or pure creativity, making every horse's name a unique testament to its legacy.
