As an aspiring Thoroughbred horse owner, my daydreams don't always carry me to the Derby winner's circle or even to the racetrack. No, sometimes my dreams start at The Jockey Club Registry where breeders acknowledge the existance of their Thoroughbreds and owners name their mighty steeds.
Some owners use names as a sort of brand. Claiborne typically uses one-word names (e.g. Arch); Ken Ramsey names his horses after family members (e.g. Nolan's Cat); Mike Pegram often pays tribute to friends (e.g. Icecoldbeeratreds); Scot Waterman, D.V.M., often references Seinfeld (e.g. Summer of George).
One popular motif in the aftermath of the Governor Eliot Spitzer scandal was to name horses after his involvement with a busted prostitution ring. Prominent New York Republican Marylou Whitney got in on the act by naming horses Ninth Client and Luv Gov, the latter of which brought some notoriety to the Triple Crown season by starting in both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
David Lanzman is the latest to make a political statement with his horses after naming his two-year-old colt by Thunder Gulch out of Roy mare Meguial (Arg) Dontsellmetofelons. The colt, who is a half brother to Lanzman's I Want Revenge, is an obvious allusion to the legal troubles Lanzman has had with IEAH Stables, which bought a share in I Want Revenge before the Kentucky Derby. I Want Revenge scratched the morning of the race, and both parties are suing each other for various alleged transgressions (thank you anonymous commenter for the proper edit here).
Dontsellmetofelons has yet to record a published workout, but he is at Del Mar this summer, which hints that he could run at some point this fall. Lanzman originally named the Thunder Gulch colt I Want Noise; owners can change the name of a horse before s/he starts in a race.
Special thanks to @Bloodstock for bringing this to my attention.
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