GG Jumps Journal: What's in a name? Not very much if you're a racehorse

Imperial Commander was destined to win the Gold Cup. How could he fail to achieve with such a name? Well, as it turns out, nominative determination rarely butters racing’s parsnips.

GG Jumps Journal – Great Names of Not-So-Great Horses

In the last ten years alone, Rule The World, Noble Yeats, I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett have all won the Grand National. Destiny is never guaranteed in horse racing, but sometimes the pinstickers’ method of “picking out the best name” really does feel pre-ordained for success.

This feeling is strengthened ever greater on the flat, where Ballydoyle’s stranglehold of the most important meetings almost guarantees a powerfully-named Derby winner every few years: Camelot, Ruler Of The World and City Of Troy all give evidence.

However, the following are all testament to determinative demise, offering hope that racing tipsters are not wasting their time. Even if you are named after the most famous scientist, fictional equine, or simply entitled “the best”, here is proof that the muscles matter more than the moniker.

Famous People

Dickens ran on Tuesday at Huntingdon, finishing fourth in a selling handicap hurdle. His name stood out as being a certain Coolmore home-bred, but he was trained in his brief flat career by Alan King before his inauspicious, albeit quietly successful, hurdling career. He has won five times over timber at a lower level, though of the seven horses entrusted with just the great Victorian writer’s surname, the German trained by Hans Blume was probably the most successful, winning a Listed race at Dresden in 2006.

Perhaps strength comes from bearing the full name of your historic counterpart. Charles Dickens finished third in the 1974 Grand National after all, while a South African Charles Dickens won three Grade 1s in his home nation very recently, between 2022-2024. Then again, the Charles Dickens born in 2006 in Ireland, and bred in the purple, proved that Great Expectations can be too much to bear: he fell upon Hard Times after just one run for Mark Johnston and was last seen finishing tailed off in Dubai in December 2009 without ever sniffing victory. No Christmas Carol for him.

Conversely, the full name theory gains pace again when viewed against another long-haired moustachioed genius. The surname-only Einstein I won two low-key events at Newcastle and Redcar, but gravity, ironically, was his nemesis, as he did not take to jumping hurdles and concluded his career with 11 successive heavy defeats. Yet, in all his dual glory, Albert Einstein burst onto the scene this year for Aidan O’Brien, winning both of his starts and being hailed as the bright young Ballydoyle thing heading into the following turf season.

On that note, surely Aidan O’Brien’s runners can never do wrong in these stakes? If only that were true for Sirgarfieldsobers, named after the brilliant Barbadian all-rounder of the mid-20th century. A full brother to Derby winner Authorized, perhaps his heart was broken by the winner on his debut at Leopardstown, for although Sirgarfieldsobers started at just 9/4, O’Brien and co were likely unaware of what 2/1 favourite Sea The Stars would go on to achieve. Garry won just one of his 27 races, leaving Ballydoyle after just six runs.

Famous Horses

Such is the duality of man, maybe it is the fault of the owners for naming our beautiful four-legged friends after our own image? Pegasus I, for instance, should be a name worthy only of a soaring, burgeoning great of the game, but alas, the only Pegasus to grace global racing ran three times with form figures of 09P in bumpers and a Taunton seller.

Shadowfax I got 17 more goes between spells with Brian Meehan and Gay Kelleway, yet still could not get his bay head in front. If anything, that is just deserts for naming a bay horse Shadowfax, a crime verging on the sacrilegious to any Tolkien fans.

Seven horses, meanwhile, have served to dishonour Black Beauty’s name. One of those, the son of Diktat born in 2003, did manage to win four times from 29 races though never cresting greater heights than Beverley, Tralee and Worcester. Black Beauty I born 1983 achieved far less than all of the above combined though, which takes some doing, never managing to beat a single horse home in her five races in the late 80s. The latest on the Black Beauty roll-call is not helping their cause either, pulling up on his only hurdles start in France in May 2023 and has not been seen since.

Overly Confident

Powerful Glory proved that you can overcome any odds if you are named as if nothing can defeat you. 200/1 he was on British Champions Day and Powerful Glory he and Richard Fahey now possess.

Studies of such nomenclature can unfortunately point to many examples to the contrary. The supposedly all-powerful Omnipotent proved anything but for Richard Hannon, trying but failing to win any of his six career starts in between 2010-2011. He was subsequently gelded, those eternally influential genes dashed forever.

Even more ambitiously titled was Best Horse, born in France in 2002 and the son of 1997 champion European two-year-old Xaar. On five occasions, he was indeed the best horse in the race, but he was not the best horse a further 33 times, failing to win any of his 12 starts over obstacles for Ferdy Murphy.

Saving the best (and by which I mean worst) of this cockily entitled genre until last, poor Unbeatable was born the same year as Frankel, who truly was. As it turned out though, beating Unbeatable was the most surmountable of mountains, as 46 of the 53 rivals she faced over six races managed to beat William Knight’s filly home. Connections wisely called it a day after she finished last of 12 at Wolverhampton in September 2011.

Fast Things

Aside from the award-worthy creativity of his owners naming him Usain Colt, the son of Royal Applause and Bright Vision showed serious early promise, winning a Newbury maiden on his second start in fine style. Any faint hopes of him being the equine equivalent of the Jamaican sprint record holder ended when he did not train on at three, though gelding him more than 18 months after his final run was probably harsh, as if simply to spite the name once and for all.

Usain Colt had the burden of his pun, but the horse named only Usain did not fare overly superior, ultimately ending up over hurdles after only one win in a lowly Gowran Park handicap in nine flat appearances. Imagine Usain Bolt hamming it up in the 3000m steeplechase.

Once more, the Usains’ issue may have been their inescapable link to humanity, so how about giving a horse an engine? Well, there have been three Formula Ones across the planet to have achieved a modicum of success, the South African Formula One even finishing fourth in a Grade 1. The most famous Formula One appeared on a day of infamy for racing though, as the 11-year-old trained by Martin Brown was one of nine horses who did not even start in the void 1993 Grand National. Another name tarnished by association.

I have harboured my greatest proof that form gurus will always trump the name-followers until last though. Only recently old enough to have a bet, I was at Sandown on Tolworth hurdle day in 2016, where Master Of Speed was the 11/10 favourite for the opener. This being a rare day of racing in which I had not had time to study the card, he felt like a bona fide certainty, only to trail in a 21-length third of four behind a horse called Sneaking Budge. I mean, what kind of name is Sneaking Budge? To add insult to injury, the Budge never came close to winning another race.

Tip for the Weekend

A decent 12/1 place for Excello in the column last week fuels the fire for an even better follow-up. The Paddy Power Gold Cup could provide a wonderful battleground for the hero name debate, as Es Perfecto goes up against Panic Attack and Bad. Yes, Bad.

I am looking instead at the Sunday for the main tip and Castle Carrock looks interesting in the Greatwood Hurdle at 16/1 generally. He was too keen for his own good in Graded contests to conclude last season, but still ran well, and had previously upset a useful mare of Ben Pauling’s on his hurdling debut. He is ground versatile and should appreciate this big-field scenario over 2m, with a decent gallop and cover among the field likely to play to his strengths.