Name - and in some cases shame!

1. It was only as recently as December 1946 that Lord Rosebery confirmed at a Jockey Club meeting that "no horse shall run unnamed". Before then, while three-year-olds and upwards had to be named, the way still remained open for two-year-olds to race with only a reference to their dam – the son of the dam Lady Chantry might be identified in the racecard as The Lady Chantry Colt.

2. The name of every racehorse in Britain must be registered at the Racing Calendar Office at Weatherbys before it can run. Such has been the expansion of the racehorse population in recent years that there are approximately 250,000 entries in the Register of Names. Weatherbys receives around 12,500 applications a year (average 50 a day).

3. A long list of dos and don'ts regarding names are enshrined in the Rules of Racing and Weatherbys maintains a specialist department of three employees, including one member of staff at their Irish office in Naas, devoted solely to the registration of racehorse names, which are subject to approval by the BHA.