By Emily Schulz & Belinda Meyers
Naming a horse can be a lot of fun, and sometimes a lot of work coming up with something suitably clever that also rolls off the tongue of the race caller. But the COVID pandemic meant owners had a lot more time on their hands to get creative, and it also inspired a few 2020-inspired names that didn’t take much creativity at all!
Here’s our list of the obvious - and not so obvious - COVID-related horse names:
The obvious…
Vaccine - Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Connections were very clever in the naming of the Waterhouse/Bott-trained 2YO, Vaccine. The bay filly by Not A Single Doubt out of A Brilliant Idea is a trial winner and later debuted in the Group 3 Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick. Glenlogan Park have high hopes of success for their girl, with no side-effects of course!
Social Distancing - Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Spelling measures have been put in place for chestnut filly Social Distancing following her debut at Newcastle. Another COVID-19 related name for the team at Tulloch Lodge who are renowned for sending their horses to the front of the field where they can safely maintain physical distance from their rivals. The 3YO is a two-time trial winner for Mt. Brilliant Farm who can hopefully come into close contact with their filly when international borders open.
Facemask - Peter Moody
Winning on debut for his new trainer Peter Moody, Facemask did nothing to prevent the spread between him and the field winning by 1.75L. He’s had a name change in these unprecedented times, originally named Victory Royale. The four-year-old gelding has turned grey from the news overload during the Coronavirus crisis and also can’t help himself when discussing the issues now requiring a tongue control bit to race.
The Virus - Rob Heathcote
Top marks for simplicity, this 3YO colt by US sire Warrior’s Reward hasn’t spread to the racetrack yet, but could be silently approaching.
Outalockdown - Paul Preusker
Nice work nabbing this one before it got snapped up - the 3YO Stryker chestnut debuted this month and will be looking to make the most of his freedom as he chases his maiden win.
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Ahead of their time…
Pandemic - James Cummings
Aptly named by a global enterprise who cross international boundaries and affect large numbers of people with their success on the racetracks, Pandemic was racing back when Corona was just something you’d put a lemon in. Pandemic is a four-year-old gelding trained in the Godolphin Blue who is a four-time winner out of the dam, Cataclysm. The team behind naming these regal steads do a fantastic job and might have some fortune telling abilities to add to their CV #TheyKnew
Working From Home (retired)
Although she is retired now, the four-time winning daughter of Time Thief, Working From Home was a stable favourite back in her hay day. The stakes-placed sprinter called Warrnambool home where she spent her days keeping her fitness levels up with her hour of daily exercise in-between making zoom calls and online shopping for matching tracksuits of course. Coincidently stewards placed an impromptu embargo on her last month resulting in that being her last day at work, a suspension for poor performance #CanRelate
The left of centre...
Scamdemic - Gary Portelli
It wouldn’t be a COVID-inspired list without an element of conspiracy theory, and the Elite Thoroughbreds crew have come up with an elite name for their 2YO Megaglia D’Oro colt.
Masked Crusader - Team Hawkes
Masked Crusader impressed in his first preparation as a three-year-old winning three in a row which brought the spotlight on him. Connections received some hefty offers for the gelding which were swiftly rejected resulting in the masses protesting. Imagine turning down $3million dollars in the middle of a pandemic! The Hawkes-trained gelding was sent for a spell whilst the rest of Australia joined him in lockdown. He obviously spent far too much time watching Netflix and making homemade pasta because his return to the race track was similar to his human counterparts returning to the gym later this year. Late Gear Change: Mask Off.
Honourable mentions to…
Lockdown Lady (Tom Button)
Miss Rona (Ray Miller)
The Cure (Lindsay Smith)
Rapid Response (Kris Lees)
Postcode (Gai Waterhouse)
Stay At Home (Phil Sweeney)
Viral (Danny O'Brien)
Press Conference (retired)
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