Stopchargingmaria (above) was a not so subtle hint from owner Mike Repole to his wife, Maria, to ease up on the credit card usage. (Photo by Adam Coglianese/NYRA)

Before a Thoroughbred can race, it must have a name. Acquiring a name can sometimes be a sport in and of itself, for Thoroughbred names cannot sound like any of the approximately 430,000 names already in active use and must also comply with 15 rules which establish the types of names not allowed.

Among other things, the rules prohibit: names containing more than 18 characters, names of notorious people, names having commercial significance and names that are suggestive or have a vulgar meaning.

Dont Miss 11 Funny Horse Names

Owners submit their name choices to The Jockey Club, which has among its many responsibilities the final approval of name requests. Owners’ inspiration for names runs the gamut from politics (Monicatrippedbill) to pop culture (Elvis Parsley).

The most popular method of devising names, however, is to incorporate the Thoroughbred’s pedigree into the name. Some clever examples include:

Alphabet Soup (out of the mare Illiterate)

Blondeinamotel (by the stallion Bates Motel)

Don’t Take Any (by Plugged Nickle out of Wooden)

Flat Fleet Feet (by Afleet out of Czar Dancer)

Native Dancer (by Polynesian out of Geisha)

Odor in the Court (by Judge Smells)

Prenup (by Smarten out of Homewrecker)

Social Outcast (by Shutout out of Pansy)

Watamichoppedliver (by Chopper Charlie out of Libber and Onions)