Kentucky Derby 2018: How do racehorses get their odd names?

This Saturday, Free Drop Billy will race against Bolt d’Oro, Instilled Regard, Noble Indy, Vino Rosso, and 15 other goofy-named racehorses in the 144th Kentucky Derby. Have you ever wondered how, exactly, thoroughbreds get those strange names?

The answer is a little complicated. All thoroughbred names must be approved by the Jockey Club, one of horse racing’s governing bodies, and they have strict rules about those racing monikers. Once you weed out all these restrictions, you’re pretty much left with no choice but to choose something odd and eccentric:

• Names have a limit of 18 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
• Horses can’t be named after actual people, unless written permission is filed with the Jockey Club. (We’re looking at you, Benedict Cumberbatch.)
• Owners also can’t use the name of a deceased person, unless approved by the Jockey Club.
• The Derby is all about etiquette, so horse names can’t be suggestive or have a vulgar or obscene meaning. And because horse racing isn’t the NFL, horse names can’t be offensive to religious, political, or ethnic groups.
• Horses can’t be given names with clear commercial or artistic value, so NASCAR-style sponsorships probably won’t be part of the naming process any time soon.
• You can’t name a horse using initials or numbers, which rules out binary code
• Horses can’t have names that contain horse terms like “filly,” “colt,” “stud,” “mare,” or “stallion”
• You can’t use a name that is identical or nearly identical to horses within certain time frames, depending upon what the original horse accomplished
• And what if Bolt D’Oro or Instilled Regard does win the Derby? As part of its spoils, no other thoroughbred will ever bear its name again.

Now that you know how the naming process works, you’re ready to dole out your fun facts during this year’s Kentucky Derby. Post time is 6:46 p.m. ET on Saturday, so put on a seersucker suit and pour a mint julep with a healthy dose of Kentucky bourbon.