Thoroughbred breeders generally sell their young stock as unnamed yearlings. For new racehorse owners, naming their horse can bring great pleasure and fun, especially when that horse races and becomes known to all. This article provides guidance on the various aspects which should be considered when coming up with a name for your racehorse.
In order to avoid paying a late fee, you need to name the horse by the start of their two-year-old year. Furthermore, the name has to be unique. This means it cannot belong to any other living Thoroughbred in the world. It also cannot be on the International List of Protected Names. This is a list of 'retired' names, which belong to horses that are considered too famous or important to have their names re-used. So, for example, there will never be another Red Rum or Shergar. If a horse is not famous, its name can be reused, but not immediately. The name of a broodmare can be reused starting ten years after the last year in which she is bred, ten years after her death or when she is 30 years old. For stallions, these are fifteen years and 35. For non-breeding horses, the rule is five years after the horse's death or its 20th year. The BHA may also refuse a name that sounds too similar to a name already in use, or that differs only in the addition of 'A' or 'The'.
