OFF THE RECORD #102

When a Name Becomes a Story
Inside Racing’s Most Creative Tradition

Long before a thoroughbred carries a saddlecloth, it carries a name, often borrowed from a memory, a loved one, a celebrity, a private joke, a world event or a lifelong dream. In the picking of a name, the horse becomes personal. The simple question of what to name a horse carries a world of sentiment, superstition, humour and hope.

Across the globe, naming conventions reflect culture as much as pedigree. In Europe, breeding giants like Coolmore favour names that echo history and heritage — Galileo, Churchill, Dylan Thomas, Los Angeles, City Of Troy, Australia, and other figures or nations whose resonance extends beyond the racetrack. In the United States, names often emphasise strength and distinction, with champions like American Pharoah, Gun Runner, Flightline, and California Chrome.

Above: The great race mare Winx, immortalised in a movie, a name that will never be forgotten (image: Racenet)

In Hong Kong, horses are registered with both English and Chinese names, and superstition and numerology heavily influence the choice; translations can produce curious results, such as Everyday Lettuce or Happy Lucky Dragon Win. In Australia, colloquialism and playful creativity come to the fore, with champions like Winx, allegedly inspired by exotic dancers; Makybe Diva, named using an amalgamation of five staff members at her owner’s fishing business; and Waikikamukau, a nod to a rural town.

South Africa tends to favour the colloquial style familiar in Australia, but with its own flavour. Over the past decade, our country’s rich and diverse population has started to make its mark on racehorse names. Owners draw inspiration from local languages, heritage, pop culture, and everyday life, producing names that are distinctly South African, often clever, sometimes cheeky and full of character.

Hollywood Racing started exploring local cultures when naming their horses several years ago and Devin Heffer, Hollywoodbets’ Brand and Communications Manager, said that every unique name has a story behind it. “Our horses are named in English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans or even French! We push to use names in the vernacular so that it can identify with a wider audience. But not only that, also to showcase the culture of South Africa to the world.”

Heffer elaborated: “We don't have a set policy, probably only to not give a horse a bland name, or something that doesn't mean anything to us. We have team members, brand ambassadors, colleagues, presenters, commentators, friends and more. Sometimes they are just from our own personal experiences or funny stories, and we don't always have to share the story. Sometimes it's fun to leave it up to the imagination. If you think about it, we could give our runners names like ‘Storm’, ‘Legs of Thunder’, ‘We Are Moving Forward’, ‘Brother’, or ‘Go Well’. Instead we get Isivunguvungu, Imilenze Yokududuma, Asiye Phambili, Mfethu and Salani Kahle.

“Having Isivunguvungu run at the Breeders’ Cup in San Diego last year was a talking point across the whole festival weekend. Everyone wanted to know how to pronounce the name and what the name meant. They even had a fun social media challenge to see who could pronounce it correctly. It got people talking and learning about our South African culture. But not only that, how cool is it to be South African, see a South African runner on an international stage, and have his proudly South African name being called to the world. It's what we dreamed about, and got to experience it.”

Above: Odwa Ndugane with Isivunguvungu (image: Candiese Lenferna)

Isivunguvungu was named by former Sharks and Springbok winger and Hollywoodbets Brand Ambassador Odwa Ndungane. The name means “Storm” in isiXhosa. Odwa said this was the best description of how he took to the field in his playing days, looking to blow away the opposition.

Above: Asiye Phambile, “moving forward” (image: Wayne Marks)

Last Saturday’s Grade 3 Southern Cross Stakes winner Asiye Phambile was named by Hollywood staffer Wilson Khumalo, and means “we are moving forward” in isiZulu. Another high-profile Hollywood runner is 2025 Betway Summer Cup-placed gelding, Busstopinhounslow, who was named after a chant sung by fans of Hollywood-sponsored English Premier League club, Brentford: “We’re just a bus stop in Hounslow.” Originally used by rivals as a taunt, supporters from Brentford, situated in the Borough of Hounslow, embraced the phrase as a badge of pride, reflecting the club’s rise from one of London’s smallest teams to Premier League success, with self-mocking humour at its heart.

Tapping into the popularity of Springbok lock forward, Eben Etzebeth, a gelding by Gold Standard was named, Elizabedi Gold. Etzebeth received the nickname “Elizabedi” after a video went viral on social media of a young Springbok fan Siya Dlamini celebrating Eben’s try against France in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final.

Another recent winner that Devin Heffer regards as special is Salani Kahle, who was named by racing presenter Deez Dayanand. Deez uses this as his ‘sign off’ phrase, having a familiar meaning to a wider audience. Not only was Deez over the moon when Salani Kahle won, but Hollywood got isiZulu commentator Sanele Mchunu to lead him into the winner’s box. This was Mchunu’s first ever privilege of doing so and Heffer said, “Sanele is a rising star in the industry. His smile was from ear to ear and, being able to share in that excitement and joy, purely through the name of the horse, literally made my day.”

Afrikaans horse names continue to make a strong showing on South African racecards, because it lends itself to both serious gravitas and playful humour. Owners and breeders have shown inventiveness, protecting Afrikaans in horseracing’s naming landscape, despite political pressure to remove it from other spheres of society.

Perhaps the most noticeable runner with an Afrikaans name in recent months has been Kattekwaadkwadraat, a promising filly by One World out of Cat’s Whiskers. Her name has proven to be a bit of a tongue-twister for race callers. “Kattekwaad” is the term for “mischievous acts” (by children), and “Kwadraat” means “to the power of two”. This suggests that the filly was a playful, naughty, double handful when breeder John Mynhardt named her.

Other runners with Afrikaans names include Kaalvoet (barefoot), Kortvandraad (a quick temper), Rissiepit (chilli pip, but often used as an affectionate nickname for fiery young girls), Stroopsoet (sweet as syrup), and Voorloopertjie (leading from the front).

Dutch, the original cousin to Afrikaans, is well represented by prominent owner Henk Leyenaar, who lives in Zimbabwe but names his runners after prominent landmarks in his native Holland. Leyenaar’s outstanding colt, Jan Van Goyen, was named after the street of his birth, in 1946. He owns a number of runners with his daughters, and their Dutch heritage is celebrated in Keukenhof, Kanaal Skater, Spaarne Rivier, Tulip Fields, Drielandenpunt and others.

The final and perhaps most elegant layer of creativity still lies within the pedigree itself. For many owners and breeders, the ultimate naming challenge is to weave together the identities of sire and dam. It is here, in the genetic storytelling of names, that wordplay becomes craft, and where the right combination can produce something both uncannily clever and perfectly fitting.

Most of the leading breeders, or their stud masters, spend hours looking up various links and connotations. The advent of technology has made this task easier than it to breeders of earlier generations, but even with Google and Chatgpt it still takes some effort to produce names that work, and to ensure that they are approved by the stud book executives — in our case, the National Horseracing Authority.

Here are a few examples of creative naming, taken from the NHA’s names register:

Clark Griswold (by Horizon out of Rock Trip, Hemel ’n Aarde Stud): He was named after the main character in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” movies. There are scenes in two of them, where Griswold and his family encounter rock formations.

Cowboy Country (by The United States out of Oklahoma Sky, Wilgerbosdrift/Mauritzfontein): His name could simply have been State of Oklahoma, but the breeders took it one step further, with a creative reference that works on both sire and dam.

Café Culture (by Var out of Put The Kettle On, Ridgemont): A clever play on the dam’s name.

Above: Epikleros (winner) – “The Heiress” (image: Pauline Herman)

Epikleros (by Master Of My Fate out of The Heiress, Wilgerbosdrift/Mauritzfontein): In ancient Athens and other ancient Greek city states, an Epikleros was the daughter of a citizen who died without male heirs, and as such had her fate determined by family law.

Kingdom Of Heaven (by Dynasty out of Biblical Susan, Drakenstein Stud): Kingdom (Dynasty) x Biblical (Heaven) ­— a suitable combination.

Splicethemainbrace (by Master Of My Fate out of Summer Cruise, Varsfontein Stud): Historically, to "splice the mainbrace" was an order given by a Captain (Master) on a square-rigged sailing ship to repair the mainbrace (the ropes used to control the sails). Over time, the phrase evolved into an order to issue an extra rum ration to the entire crew to celebrate special occasions, such as a victory in battle (Summer Cruise).

Twostep Queen (by Potala Palace out of Dance Alley, Graystone Stud): Palace (Queen) and Dance (Twostep), made for a good name (and quite a talented filly!)

In the end, wherever a thoroughbred’s name comes from, and long before the gates open, it is always chosen in hope, pride, and the anticipation of magic.