Racehorse Names: The Naming Rules, Famous Names and a Free Name Checker
By the MyHorseBets team · Updated · 9 min read
Racehorse names in Britain and Ireland are not a free-for-all. Every horse that races under the Rules of Racing needs a unique name, approved by Weatherbys for the British Horseracing Authority, and the rules are strict: no more than 18 characters including spaces, no more than seven syllables, no figures or punctuation such as hyphens and full stops, nothing offensive, and nothing already on the register or on the protected lists. Weatherbys says it approves about 13,000 new names a year and that more than 250,000 are unavailable at any one time.
This guide sets out the official rules from the BHA’s Horse Naming Guidelines, explains how owners actually come up with names, looks at famous racehorse names and how they were chosen, and offers race night name ideas of our own. Use our free checker below to test any name against the format rules before you apply.
Racehorse name checker
This checks the format rules in the BHA Horse Naming Guidelines (May 2025). It can't tell you whether the name is already taken, protected or acceptable in taste: only Weatherbys and the BHA can, through the Racing Administration System name search. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The Racehorse Naming Rules in Britain and Ireland
The rules come from the BHA’s Horse Naming Code, reproduced in its Horse Naming Guidelines (May 2025), and Weatherbys applies them as the naming authority. Weatherbys’ own page on naming your horse adds that the name stays with the horse for life, which is how bloodlines can be traced and horses told apart in a race.
Names That Can Never Be Registered
The BHA lists eight kinds of prohibited name. A horse cannot be registered with:
| Rule | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| A name already in the Register of Horse Names | Unless it has become available again (see below) |
| A name followed by a number | Names beginning with a number may also be refused as confusing |
| A protected name | Names on the International Protected List, plus famous names the BHA protects at home |
| More than 18 characters | Counting every letter, space and sign |
| Only initials, or figures and signs | No figures, hyphens, full stops, commas, exclamation marks, inverted commas, slashes, colons or semicolons |
| Starting with a sign | The first character must be a letter |
| More than seven syllables | Long, rambling names are out |
| Offensive or inappropriate | Suggestive, vulgar, obscene or insulting names, names in poor taste, or names offensive to religious, political or ethnic groups |
Names Allowed With Permission
Some names can be registered if the right person agrees. The guidelines say a well-known person’s name needs their permission, although permission is often not needed if the person has been dead for over 50 years, or if a surname is used on its own and isn’t readily linked to a public figure. Names with commercial significance need BHA consent, often with the trademark owner’s permission, and the BHA warns that it can’t check every trademark, so that search is the applicant’s job. Names containing “Dot Com” need the domain holder’s written permission if the applicant doesn’t own the domain.
Protected Names
Weatherbys says about 3,000 names are protected, including winners of major races and famous retired horses. The BHA’s appendix explains who qualifies at home. On the Flat, every winner of the 2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks, St Leger and Ascot Gold Cup is protected automatically, back to the first running of each race, along with winners of the Irish Classics. Over jumps, every winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle, the Grand National and the King George VI Chase is protected. Dual winners of major races and horses the public would be sensitive to seeing reused are protected too.
When a Name Becomes Free Again
Names are not retired forever unless they are protected. The guidelines set out when a registered name becomes available to a new horse:
| Previous owner of the name | Available again at the earliest of |
|---|---|
| Broodmare | 10 years after her death, 10 years after she was last covered or foaled, or the year she turns 30 |
| Stallion | 15 years after his death, 15 years after he last covered a mare, or the year he turns 35 |
| Any other horse | 5 years after its death, or the year it turns 20 |
The BHA can release a name earlier if the horse never raced. A name spelt differently but sounding like an existing one can be allowed if it’s unlikely to cause confusion in racing or breeding.
How to Name a Racehorse: the Application
Checking and Applying
Weatherbys says applications are made through the Racing Administration System, and that you can check whether a name is available on the BHA website or in the same system. Paper forms exist for owners without access. Most applications are processed within a day: the BHA guidelines say name checks are completed daily by the Weatherbys team.
If Your Name Is Refused
An appeal goes to the BHA through Weatherbys. According to the guidelines, the applicant must put the case in writing, and Weatherbys forwards it with all relevant details so the BHA has the full facts before deciding.
Changing a Name Later
Changing a name gets harder the further the horse goes. The BHA guidelines allow a free correction of a genuine mistake before the horse runs, a change with a full fee for an unraced horse bought from someone who had named it, and almost no changes once a horse has raced, with no changes after the entry stage. The BHA also reserves the right to demand a change of name at any time.
How Owners Choose Racehorse Names
There is no formula, but most names come from one of a few places.
From the Sire and Dam
The classic approach is to combine or play on the names of the parents. The most famous example in British racing is Red Rum: according to Wikipedia, his breeder took the last three letters of his dam, Mared, and of his sire, Quorum. Red Rum went on to win the Grand National three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977.
After a Person
Owners often honour someone. Frankel, unbeaten in 14 races, was named after the American trainer Bobby Frankel, according to Wikipedia. Under the BHA rules, a living person’s name needs their permission.
Puns, Places and Private Jokes
Plenty of names are puns on racing terms, places that mean something to the owner, or in-jokes that only the syndicate understands. That is where the rules on taste come in: the BHA refuses names it considers suggestive, vulgar or insulting, and every name passes a Weatherbys check before it reaches a racecard.
Tips for a Name That Works
- Say it out loud as a commentator would, at speed, in a close finish.
- Count the characters with the spaces: 18 goes quickly.
- Avoid names that sound like a famous horse. A soundalike can be refused if it might cause confusion.
- Think about the betting shop. A name that’s easy to read and spell is easier to back.
Famous Racehorse Names
Some names became famous because of what the horses did. These come from the race records we’ve used across the site.
| Horse | Famous for | How the name came about |
|---|---|---|
| Red Rum | Grand National 1973, 1974, 1977 | Last three letters of his dam (Mared) and sire (Quorum) |
| Frankel | Unbeaten in 14 races; Queen Elizabeth II Stakes 2011, Champion Stakes 2012 | After the trainer Bobby Frankel |
| Arkle | Irish Grand National 1964 under 12st | Trained by Tom Dreaper |
| Desert Orchid | Irish Grand National 1990 under 12st | Trained by David Elsworth |
| Secretariat | US Triple Crown 1973; Kentucky Derby record 1:59.40 | |
| Phar Lap | Melbourne Cup 1930 at 8/11 | |
| Makybe Diva | Melbourne Cup three years running, 2003 to 2005 | |
| Enable | Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2017 and 2018 |
Most of these will never be available again: winners of the Grand National and the British Classics are protected automatically, and others are on the international list. Our guides to the Melbourne Cup, the Kentucky Derby, the Irish Grand National and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe have the stories behind several of them.
Race Night Horse Names
For a race night, a charity evening or a sweepstake, you need names that are clean, funny and easy for a caller to shout. These are our own ideas, and every one passes the format rules in the checker above, even though some may already belong to real horses.
| Racing puns | Betting puns | Field and stable |
|---|---|---|
| Furlong Shot | Each Way Eddie | Mane Event |
| Photo Finish Phil | Rule Four Rita | Hay Fever |
| Neigh Sayer | Placepot Pete | Unbridled Joy |
| Gallop Poll | Dead Heat Dave | Foal Me Once |
| Odds On Oscar | Lucky Fifteen | Saddle Up Sally |
Running the Night
If you’re drawing horses for a race night, our Grand National sweepstake kit prints numbered slips and an entry sheet you can reuse with your own names, and explains what UK gambling law allows. If you take bets on the night, keep stakes small and settle them with our bet calculator or the each way calculator.
A race night is for fun. If money changes hands, keep stakes small, check the gambling rules that apply to your event, and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling responsibly.
Reading Names on a Racecard
On a racecard and in results, a horse’s name is followed by a suffix showing where it was bred, such as (IRE), (FR) or (USA). The BHA guidelines note that GB and IRE suffixes share the same stud book and naming authority, so a GB-bred and an IRE-bred horse can’t have the same name. For the rest of the abbreviations next to a name, our guides to reading horse racing form and horse racing terms explain them.
Frequently asked questions
No more than 18, and that includes spaces and any signs. The BHA's naming code also caps names at seven syllables and bans figures, hyphens, full stops, commas, exclamation marks, inverted commas, slashes, colons and semicolons, so the name has to be short and plain.
Red Rum, Frankel, Arkle, Desert Orchid and Secretariat are among the best known, mostly because of what the horses won. Red Rum's name is a neat example of the craft: his breeder took the last three letters of his dam Mared and his sire Quorum.
Yes. To check whether a name is free for a new horse in Britain or Ireland, use the name availability search on the BHA website or the Racing Administration System run by Weatherbys. To look up a horse's racing record, racing results sites let you search by name.
Only with permission, if the person is well known. The BHA guidelines say permission is often not needed if the person has been dead for over 50 years, or if a surname is used alone and isn't readily linked to a public figure. Frankel was named after the trainer Bobby Frankel.
Because the BHA refuses names it considers suggestive, vulgar, obscene or insulting, or offensive to religious, political or ethnic groups, and every name is checked by Weatherbys before a horse can race. The BHA can also demand a change of name at any stage if one slips through.