One of the most fun elements of horse racing is listening out for the unique names of each of the horses. Owners typically buy horses at a young age and submit a name to the Jockey Club, which is the general authority in the sport for horse registration and data. Their name often represents a mixture of their parent’s but there can often be other factors at play which can result in some rather unique names. Here are some of the strangest names in the world of horse racing, which you can see at the Winners Enclosure..
Arrr
One of the greatest and most memorable names in the history of the sport is Arrr. The horse got his title from a stable of the same name. When he ran at Saratoga back in 2008 and put on a winning performance, track announcer Tom Durkin was prepared with what is now a world-famous commentary.
Covfefe
A filly born by Into Mischief and Antics was always going to have the potential for a great name. But as anyone interested in politics and social media will probably have guessed, the name Covfefe was given when President Trump posted the now infamous tweet where he used that word. The horse, however, was an impressive debut winner in 2018 when she raced at Churchill Downs.
Doremifasollatido
Tom Durkin took another stab at his vocal styling when Doremifasollatido raced on Independence Day back in 2008 at Belmont Park. Her winning performance may have impressed on the day but it’s her name that makes her fondly remembered even to this day. She also won the Grade 2 Matron as a 2-year-old and over the course of her career, she banked over $260,000 in earnings.
Notacatbutallama
One of the more unique names in the sport, Notacatbutallama’s name stemmed from a game of Taboo which the owner Mike Repole played with his wife Maria. The word made for a hysterical response and an attention-grabbing name for their horse that also used up most of the 18 characters that the Jockey Club allows for a name. The horse wasn’t a punchline though – he went on to win a pair of Grade 3 races as a 3-year-old and at the end of his career, he’d banked almost $800,000 in earnings.
Potoooooooo
The 18th century horse got his strange name from a funny misunderstanding. The owner of the horse asked his stable boy to write the horse’s name, which was supposed to be Potatoes, onto the door of the horse’s stall. The boy wrote ‘Pot’ followed by 8 o’s, but despite the mistake, the owner liked it so much that he decided to register the horse with the name.
Waikikamukau
This unusual name is pronounced as ‘why kick a moo cow’ and is a popular expression in New Zealand that refers to a remote location. Elsewhere in the world, the equivalent may be somewhere like Timbuktu, but Waikikamukau definitely has a better ring to it and makes for a truly unique name for this race horse.
