Name Awards

Mine That Bird or name that horse

While everyone else is sitting around captured by the shear performance of a horse starting from the rear (in the race and the odds) that surged forward to win the Kentucky Derby, I am sitting around wondering how he got that crazy name. I sure thought I heard the announcer say Name that Bird… but then I have naming on the brain. At least Name that Bird would be logical English!

What does Mine That Bird mean or signify, now that you stop to think about it? The phrase actually makes no sense, but a NY Times blog discussed it with the original owners and in the context of his pedigree is very logical. Apparently his mother is Mining My Own and his father is Birdstone.

Wouldn’t it be fun if we named startups after parts of their lineage? More importantly, do you know why racehorses have such weird and wonderful names, many of which are getting quite long? Never mind trademarks, domain names or common law, racehorses (like drugs) must have unique names so they can never be confused with each other. Not only so you don’t get two in the same race with the same name, but so that you can clearly track their pedigree.

As horse owners seek new names that have never been used before, they too run into the problem that all common English words have been used. One solution is to use two names, like we name people. Then you end up with Rachel Alexandra winning the Preakness, and you are not sure if that was the horse, the owner, or the trainer’s mistress!

A quick look at HowManyof Me.com (a fun little site) tells me there are only 2 Rachel Alexandra’s in the USA… so not too many ladies were teased on Monday for winning the Preakness!

But I hope horse owners continue to coin unique new names too. Not abstract ones like the big drug companies, but clever ones like Secretariat. After all, he still holds most of the track records 30 years later, despite all this new training and breeding and special diets for horses.

PS Stuck for a new name for your company or product and don’t want to call me for help? Read the Racing Form pages – though you probably need a sense of humor too.

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