The 155 Best and Most Iconic Racehorse Names

No racehorse is as strong and well-balanced in their temperament as a thoroughbred. Known for having a calm yet energetic personality, the incredible intelligence of this horse is a perfect complement to their work ethic. While they aren’t necessarily a good match for someone new to equestrian sports, seasoned and experienced riders know the importance of this relationship. Finding an iconic racehorse name is the best way to pay tribute to the elegance and intelligence of these creatures.

Naming A Racehorse Needs To Meet Certain Criteria

While freely naming a cat or a dog has no specific requirements, the same is not true for a racehorse. First, the name cannot exceed 18 characters, even if the name includes punctuation or spaces. In fact, the only punctuation that racehorses can have in their name is an apostrophe. If you want a multi-word name, you might have to squeeze the words together to get the entire name submitted. Plus, amongst those characters, the name has to have fewer than 7 syllables.

Even when you match all of these criteria, you still have certain names that you can’t use. This protected list of names includes many notable horses, locking their legacy in place. As they become victorious, the organizers of these events pull the name from circulation in competition. If you plan to compete with your racehorse, follow the appropriate rules for their name to avoid disqualification, even with 3,000 names on the protected list.

The only exception to this disqualification happens after the horse dies. After 5 years, anyone can use the name. However, some of the protected names remain on this list, like Red Rum and Desert Orchid. The wait to use the names again becomes 10 years for any mare that gives birth, while you can’t use a stallion’s protected name until 15 years after they die.   

Iconic Racehorse Name Ideas

Names Based On Your Racehorse’s Appearance

If you’re a breeder of thoroughbred horses, one of the easiest ways to name your horse is by its physical features. With various colors, patterns, and even hair textures, each of these physical qualities allows you to lock in their personality and make sure these iconic racehorse names are in their recent memory.

Many famous racehorses use their colors and patterns to set the tone of their name. Big Orange, for example, is the son of another famous stallion – the Duke of Marmalade. Here are some popular racehorse names that use their physical attributes as their main guidance.

• Autumn
• Blue Boy
• Blue Jeans
• Brownie
• Cappuccino
• Checkers
• Chestnut
• Chocolate
• Cinnamon
• Cocoa
• Copper
• Domino
• Ebony
• Freckles
• Ginger
• Goliath
• Jaguar
• Jigsaw
• Maximus
• Mocha
• Noir
• Nutmeg
• Onyx
• Orphan Black
• Pepper
• Pepper
• Phantom
• Rusty
• Silver
• Snowball
• Teddy
• The Black Stallion
• Toffee
• Tornado

Character Names For Your Racehorse From Film and Television

With so many fictional and non-fiction options for horse characters, there are many opportunities to expand on. Some of these characters are horses, while others use a play on words to make a human name seem more horse-friendly. Here are some fun and iconic racehorse names that are based on beloved films, popular television shows, and more.

• Andy Dufresne
• April Love
• Argo
• Artax
• Bad Horse
• Bandit
• Beau
• Beric
• Big John
• Bucephalus
• Buck
• Cochise
• Denny
• Diablo
• Dollar
• Flash
• Gulliver
• Hercules
• Hidalgo
• Joe D.
• Joey
• Lieutenant Dan
• Lil Sebastian
• Lucky Number Slevin
• Mister Ed
• Phillip
• Pie
• Pilgrim
• Pokery
• Scout
• Sonny
• Spartan
• Spirit
• Sport
• Sprout
• Superstar
• Sylvester
• The Black Stallion
• Thomas Shelby
• Tolo
• Two Bits
• Victor

One of the most common ways to name a racehorse is for its sire and dam. The pedigree speaks volumes for your horse, giving you the chance to showcase their genetic history. If you choose a name that honors their parents, add “junior” to the end of the name or blend them.

Name Your Racehorse After A Fictional Horse In A Book

There are few names that stick with someone as strongly as an animal in a classic novel. While there are many characters in novels that date back decades, some of these namesakes are too special to ignore. Naming your horse after one of these characters allows you to step inside the book for a moment, setting the tone to create your own story of victory and success. If you want to cross the finish line with your racehorse, encouraging them with one of your favorite fictional horses lets you live out your childhood dreams.

Here are a few memorable horse names from classic stories to add the extra wind beneath their feet.

• Abelard
• Acorn
• Albino
• Alfonso
• Angharad
• Appalachian
• Arod
• Arundel
• Asfaloth
• Athansor
• Azarax
• Azul
• Banner
• Black Beauty
• Blackjack
• Blaze
• Bronze
• Cadoc
• Faran
• Ferd
• Figure
• Firefoot
• Flicka
• Florian
• Fury
• Gunpowder
• Hwin
• Lark
• Mehryl
• Miramis
• Merrylegs
• Monarch
• Napolean
• Nara
• Oberon
• Persephone
• The Phantom
• Pied Piper
• Pildarlick
• Pollux
• Porkpie
• Pylon
• Rocket
• Scipio
• Shadowfax
• Silver Blaze  
• Sunstorm
• Talat
• Thowra
• Tornac
• Tug

Names of Real People For Racehorses

While choosing a beloved icon should be the easiest choice you make for your racehorse, choosing such a name becomes a bit more complicated if you plan to compete. For famous actors, celebrities, and others, the only way that they can use a live person’s name is with their direct permission. This permission must be documented. If they want to choose the name of someone who passed 50 years ago or less, this permission must come from their immediate family.

Just like famous names come with a few conditions, so does naming a racehorse after a real person. While it doesn’t have to go through the same extensive protocols, it is best to ask anyone before using their name as your iconic racehorse’s name. Here are some names of horses that come from real people, plus a few alterations to make them more horse-friendly:

• Agueroo
• Al Ca-Pony
• Anthony Van Dyke
• Bergkamp
• Bling Cobsby
• Bobby Frankel
• Brad Pitt
• Captain
• Cortney Cox
• Edgar Allen Pony
• Elton John
• Forest Jump
• Galileo
• George Washington
• Gerrard
• Harry Trotter
• Houdini
• Hugh Grant De Muze
• Kate Winsalot
• Lester Piggott
• Liam Neighson
• Messi
• Mick Jagger
• Mozart
• Romford Pele
• Ronaldo
• Tinie Tempah
• Usain Colt

If you are a trainer, you might want to take a page out of George Baker’s book and name it after yourself. After all, how nice is it to hear your own name as they announce the winner of the competition?

Keeping Your Racehorse’s Stable Name

When you first adopt your racehorse and start training, there’s a chance that he already has a name. Someone who takes pride in caring for them as they get old enough to compete. While some people take the time to get to know their horse before they know what name they want to use, consider keeping their name. After all, their carers already formed a relationship well enough to decide on a name for them. If you aren’t sure what name would make a good moniker for your horse, ask the person you adopted from for some ideas. 

Best and Most Iconic Racehorse Names: A Summary

The photo featured at the top of this post is © RacingKel / CC BY 2.0 – License / Original