Why Did You Use THAT Name?

So we are 5 days from Christmas for Horse Racing fans. I had to go on a two mile walk with my Bouvier - Dreamer (yes his call name is for the movie of the same name) today just to get away fromy laptop and TVG. I love both - but I'll spend 24 hours searching - looking - exciting over it all. Of course - it doesn't help that I cannot get away from my mind. Plus Dreamer kept getting stronger the further we went. So I was feeling like it was a race. Bam - my mind is back to the first leg of the Triple Crown.

(while I type this I've got a rerun of Two and Half Men on and Charlie just took Jake to the track. Luckily it wasn't a lengthy experience - I hate when TV shows do horse racing).

I'm looking at the past performances for the probable contenders for Saturday's race and I got to thinking about the names of the horses. If you want to win the Derby - why would you name your horse a name that sounds better on a horse in the 1st at Beulah? That's not me knocking Beulah or claimers. That's me knocking people with suck ass name choices. 

I am very particular what my Derby winner is named. I can't have tacky or just plain un-original names. Below is a list of names currently attached to probably entrants - and why I do or don't like the name. Please - DO NOT take offense if you are associated with any horse. Not trying to hurt any feelings - so don't be so sensitive.

Advice: Good name - his dam's name is Word o' Wisdom. I like the name. 

Chocolate Candy: probably better on a filly but his sire is Candy Ride (Arg) and he's owned by diet queen Jenny Craig - so I like the humor. Even if it's not intended

Desert Party: Nice - stands on it's own. Original

Dunkirk: I'm sure it's got a meaning - I'm not looking it up. It's ok with me. However anything with Kirk in it reminds me of Captain Kirk and I hated Star Trek.

Flying Private: reminds me of about 300 already used names. 

Friesan Fire: I love Friesian's but notice the difference in spelling. I went to freetranslation.com and from Spanish to English - it means "they mill" - yeah I don't get it. 

General Quarters: It stands all on it's own and it's kind of a neat name. 

Hold Me Back: mother is Restraint - not the best name for a horse you want to win.

I Want Revenge: Sire is Stephen Got Even. Original - not very Derby like.

Mine That Bird: Sire is Birdstone, dam is Mining My Own. Oh why not go with Own That Stone. Bad name. Canary would have been better.

Mr. Hot Stuff: Worst name - hate it a ton.

Musket Man: It stands on it's own. - It's also very gelding in a claiming race IMHO.

Papa Clem: Named for the owner's Grandfather. I don't mind it at all.

Pioneerof the Nile: Don't mind a run on name but not the way this was done. Not a fan of the name.

Regal Ransom: It's good enough.

Square Eddie: Probably named for someone - don't like it otherwise.

Summer Bird: Another Birdstone - another lack of originality

West Side Bernie: by Bernstein - Reminds me of West Side Story for some reason (not a fan really) and so he should be a gelding. 

Win Willy: Really? I mean Monarchos out of City Fair and you get Win Willy. 

Who wins?     


 

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  • 4/28/2009 9:26 AM donna wrote:
    i dunno if dunkirk was named for the evacuation of the allies in WWII but if it was - the mission was called operation dynamo which is unarguably a cool name.also, i hear the rumor on the yard is "winner" from the south upper street irish?
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  • 6/9/2009 5:39 AM E. Smith wrote:
    My goodness, you are one sassy pedigree expert. With all the names you pore over, it must be like some kind of hell for you (joking, I always write with a sense of GOOD NATURED humor)

    Dunkirk, first. Coolmore connections like to name horses for historical figures, events, countries. Here's what I wrote on the PETA infested forum I insist on contributing puff pieces too just to piss them off with my non stop, 24/7 celebration of horse racing.

    Today, as we remember D Day at Normandy, this horse's name really shines. (D Day was on Belmont Stakes day)

    Prince Charles said this at the last parade for Dunkirk survivors in 2004- "Without the success of Operation Dynamo, without the fierce fighting around Dunkirk that held the ring long enough for 240,000 British and 95,000 French servicemen to be taken off the beaches, without the sacrifices made by those who never returned home, D-Day may never have taken place at all. We honour the veterans of the British withdrawal from Dunkirk in 1940, along with, of course, the Little Ships that helped take many off the beaches.

    This miracle, which enabled the United Kingdom to fight on, was a magnificent piece of improvisation, supported by countless acts of individual courage by British and French alike."


    Former Royal Artilleryman George Kay, 80, said: "Some people say Dunkirk was a defeat, but if all those men like me had not been rescued we could not have gone on to fight and win the war."
    He added: "Without Dunkirk, there would have been no Normandy - the miracle of Dunkirk should therefore be very precious to us all."

    The individual citizens and their "little ships of Dunkirk" helped invigorate the British soldiers to go on and keep fighting with improved morale.

    From Wikipedia-
    Within the space of nine days, 192,226 British and 139,000 French soldiers — 331,226 in all — were rescued by the 700 little ships and around 220 warships. The rescue operation turned a military disaster into a story of heroism which served to raise the morale of the British. It was in describing the success of the operation to the House Of Commons on June 4, 1940 that Churchill made one of his most famous speeches:
    “ We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender ...[6]

    Too bad there are no Winston Churchills today.
    Keep the memory of him and our brave US and British soldiers alive, teach the children history and what it takes for a great nation like ours to stay free

    The same forum also has anti war and anti military PETA people, so I always make it a point to gush over the our brave service members and military strength.
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  • 6/9/2009 6:07 AM E. Smith wrote:
    I don't like the name ADVICE- no strength, no fun, no sport, sounds like a old foggy name or the name a person who is very full of themself would give. I do understand how it ties in with pedigree though.
    CHOCOLATE CANDY is a name with universal appeal, easy to remember, same with Capt. Candyman Can- the Children Of The Candy should all have great names (play on the movie "Children Of The Corn)
    DESERT PARTY perfect for Mo's horse. FLYING PRIVATE (named for Fu Peg + Derby horses always fly private air)- The most unfortunate name of all, with a sire named Fusaichi Pegasus and a dam named Beautiful Treasure, they surely could have come up with something . . . beautiful. Beautiful Pegasus, Pegasus Treasure, ect. Didn't like the FRIESAN in Friesan Fire, most would probably like it. A strong, sporting name. GENERAL QUARTERS (along with Musket Man and Free Country- strong names, patriotic)- it's the name given to the call to battle stations on a ship. HOLD ME BACK- awful name for a racehorse, should have gone with No Restraint or No Holding Back? I didn't like I WANT REVENGE. Not happy or nice. Did not like MINE THAT BIRD at all, but now it's grown on me and I'll remember it forever (Where you thinking "Canary In A Coal Mine?") MR. HOT STUFF - For any other horse, dumb. For this horse, perfect. Plus the back story- his original name was to be Clark's Quest (gag me!), but the owners son in law picked up a hat off a dance floor with "Hot Stuff" on it, wore it with a Hot Pink ski ensemble, and it inspired the name. Plus, a good hit song inspires fond memories for all, good marketing tool- Mr. Hot Stuff has his own song. All they need to do now is make him into a better racehorse. PAPA CLEM is cute, makes me think of Papa Smurf though- not very racehorse! Zayatt's Pioneerof sounded to me like his American twist on Pharoahof The Nile- I thought it was imaginative but I did not like it, nor the nickname PON. REGAL RANSOM was good. Hated SQUARE EDDIE- would have tolerated Smart Eddie- just not fond of the name Eddie. SUMMER BIRD- I like it, Birdstone + Summer Squall. Probably influenced by the Belinda Carlisle song I liked "Summer Rain". West Side Bernie was a great name!!! Sire Bernstein, than the West Side Story part - sad to see him go to Mo and gang- good horse for Kelly Breen (left with ATOMIC RAIN- cool firework sounding name that a woman owner picked by guessing what a "Smart Strike" (military strike) would do to a pond of water- imaginative but weird. WIN WILLY was a great name to rally simple folk around. Straight to the point. Let Monarchos have his day in the sun Billy! And poor, poor Lido Palace too- with the horribly named VINEYARD HAVEN (they could have at least called him Vineyard Palace) disappearing into middle east oblivion (actually I read he's back at Belmont) Why didn't they send him back to Frankel? Oh well, Mo wants to do it his way. He just needs to reconcile no Derby for a while. PS- Myazz? MY ASS! Go USA!
    Reply to this

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