Best Horse Racing Names

In this handicapper’s opinion, a great name should be at least: funny, but not low-brow, regal, but not pretentious, and catchy, but not corny. Sometimes a great name may not deliver on any of the above, but still manages to strike the fancy. Thinking about it, Strike the Fancy or Strikethefancy – although I’ve never been a huge fan of names that cobble multiple words together– might not make a bad moniker.

Top 5 Horse Names

“And ladies and gentleman, it’s all Strike the Fancy, pulling away by four!” Pardon the digression and child-like imagination. Here are 5 of my favorite horse names of all-time.

With so many memorable names, condensing the list to five ensured two things: 1) I’d think of five different names if prompted for a different list tomorrow and 2) I’d be creating a list not just based on names, but also based on the horses associated with the name since separating the two requires neurological gymnastics of which I’m not capable. With that in mind, here are some cool names that could have made the cut had the wind been blowing a different direction.

Honorable mention all-name team

Doinhardtimeagain 

A filly with a name like this is intimidating.

If horses could read, they may have thought twice before running against this one. 

Woke Up Dreamin

Clever juxtaposition. Or is this an oxymoron? 

The Tin Man

Gutsy geling who raced for Richard Mandella was all-heart.

He was also one of the last racing sons of the Triple Crown winner Affirmed. 

Wee Jinky

Unaccomplished California-based gelding who just had one of those cool names. That is all. 

How’s Your Halo

Graded stakes winner’s title might have been a dig at self-righteousness.

Maybe not. Either way, I like it.

Papi Chulo 

This guy was a bit of a runner and his name is a common phrase in Latin countries…

That means “Cool Daddy.” 

Talkin To Mom Roo

Always a fan of those names I can’t really figure out. This one passes the litmus test.

Getting Involved

Names are just part of the fun of horse racing.

Picking up a racing form for the first time might be a little confusing for a beginner, but scrolling through the names can be a great introduction to the game. In fact, there seems to be an unspoken alliance with the Racing Gods that first-time bettors can pick winners – usually longshot winners – using no more logic than selecting the horse with the most appealing name.

I usually witness this first-hand when I’m with newbies at the track as they celebrate Daddy’s Lil Punkin’s upset win and I tear up my strategically-planned tickets. Names – they matter!

Category : Betting Picks