How every horse in the 2024 Kentucky Derby got its name and why it’s such a challenge

linda blackford

Thu, May 2, 2024, 6:15 a.m.·5 min read

The naming of racehorses can be a fun game and an esoteric exercise that peeks deep into pedigrees and wordplay for inspiration. Take for example, Sierra Leone. One of his owners, Peter Brant, nodded to his sire, Gun Runner, because the African nation is known as a center of arms dealing.

But this year’s Kentucky Derby field might have the first horse whose name came out of the U.S. presidential archives. Society Man was named for Georgia Gov. Carl Sanders, who from 1963-1967 ushered in a more progressive attitude toward race and segregation, and is credited with much of Atlanta’s business prominence. West Paces Racing, which owns Society Man, is a syndicate of two businessmen from Atlanta; according to Buckhead.com, President Lyndon Johnson jokingly called Sanders a “society man” in a recorded phone call the two men had in 1968.

West Paces Racing, named for a road in Atlanta, was founded by Larry Connolly and Keith Mason. They happen to own Dornoch, another Derby horse, named after Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Dornoch, Scotland, where presumably, the owners have enjoyed a round or two.

Naming a horse can be a tribute. Owner Jerry Caroom made a pick-five bet, following the advice of an anonymous Texas handicapper who named his business Track Phantom. Caroom won big, so he asked the man if he could name his young horse for him. Track Phantom not only said yes, he wrote a whole piece about the horse, “Track Phantom Talks Track Phantom,” comparing the horse to Epicenter, who ran second in the 2022 Derby and now stands at Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud.

It’s not always easy. The Jockey Club, which registers all thoroughbreds and oversees naming, has plenty of rules, most notably that two active racehorses 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 for five years, the name is put back into circulation unless it has reached a certain level of success as defined by the Jockey Club (such as horses in racing’s Hall of Fame, that have won an Eclipse Award, or have won $2 million or more). Other rules include a limit of 18 characters, no famous people and nothing vulgar.

Kentucky Derby hopeful Sierra Leone gallops at Churchill Downs on April 23. His name comes from his sire, Gun Runner, because there is a lot of arms dealing in Sierra Leone, Africa.

You just never know where inspiration will come from. West Saratoga was named for the street in Englewood, Colorado, where Harry Veruchi grew up, according to the Vail newspaper. Although most horses are named by their owners, Resilience was named by his breeder, Pam Wygod, because it was her best way to describe her husband and co-breeder Marty Wygod. Mystik Dan is named for owner Daniel Hamby’s father, Dan, and his first business venture, selling Mystik Tape. You can name a horse for someone else, or you can name all your horses for yourself: T O Password, like all Tomoya Ozasa’s horses, starts with his initials.

Stronghold has a dramatic story, according to owner Rick Waller. His dam, Spectator, died tragically giving birth to him, so he became a pet around Mulholland Springs farm in Lexington. “But he kept growing, and they would call me and say he’s so big and strong, he’s a man among boys,” Waller said. “So when I was trying to name him, I came across Stronghold, and thought, ‘that’s the perfect name for him.’”

Fierceness has a similar back story. “He is a calm and laid-back horse 99% of the time,” owner Mike Repole said. “Only when he works or races he turns into this strong and powerful alter ego.” Plus, one word names are always popular.

Then there are the slightly random names. Encino is owned by Godolphin, which has such a high volume of horses that it opens the naming process up to its employees. Suzanne Watkins is director of sales administration for Darley at Jonabell, Godolphin’s Lexington operation. She was reading a book set in California that mentioned Encino, a San Fernando Valley suburb full of “clean, safe neighborhoods, night life and abstract architecture.” She put the name forward and her bosses liked it enough to give it to a promising 2-year-old.

Sadly, Encino was scratched on Tuesday. His replacement, Epic Ride, has a name many people would hope for. Breeder Fred Hertrich breeds so many yearlings that he can’t remember how the horse got that name. “It’s a great one,” he said, “I wish I could give credit where it’s due.”

Far and away, though, most horses are named through their pedigree, which honors those previous horses and tells the world just how good your horse’s pedigree is. For example, it’s already a flex to have a horse sired by Justify, the most recent Triple Crown winner, and you need to further flex by including his name. That happened with two horses sired by Justify in the Derby field this year: Just Steel and Just A Touch, whose name also includes the dam, Touching Beauty.

Catching Freedom is by Constitution and out of Catch My Drift. Endlessly is a nod to his dam, Dream Fuhrever. Domestic Product comes from his dam, too, Goods and Services. Catalytic is by Catalina Cruiser, and Honor Marie is by Honor Code out of Dame Marie. Grand Mo the First is by popular sire Uncle Mo. Forever Young’s dam is Forever Darling.

Herald-Leader staff writer Janet Patton contributed to this article.