Kentucky Derby Horse Names Explained: The Art Behind the Names

A thrilling photo finish or a big cashed ticket from the most exciting two minutes in sports are always fun. But, for the wordsmiths or poets among us, few parts of reading Kentucky Derby news are as fun as stumbling across a good horse name.

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The Best 2025 Kentucky Derby Horse Names

There are as many reasons that a horse name is “good” as there are people naming horses, or even people reading horse names in the past performances. Some people love names that cleverly combine the sire and dam, or that refer to a favorite person or story from the history of horse racing. Others love a name that reminds them of a favorite place or experience. Yet others want to see a good pun, or even a non-sequitur that feels so out of place in a horse race as to make itself funny.

For anyone named Rodriguez or Owen (Owen Almighty), who has stayed at the Luxor (Luxor Cafe), or has lived somewhere called East Avenue or Tappan Street, finding a favorite Kentucky Derby horse name won’t be hard. However, there are plenty of other horses headed to Churchill Downs for the 2025 Kentucky Derby with fun names that might otherwise fly under the radar.

For Readers and Writers

Readers and writers tend to be the people who gravitate toward horse names, and two horses in the 2025 Kentucky Derby have perfect names for word lovers.

Journalism

Journalism, the likely favorite in the first leg of the Triple Crown thanks to his impressive victories in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and other races on the California spur of the Kentucky Derby trail, is trained by Michael McCarthy for co-owners Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5, Robert V. LaPenta, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael B. Tabor.

According to an article in the Louisville Courier-Journal, his name was the brainchild of Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, one of those co-owners. Journalism is out of the Grade 2 winner Mopotism, and Wellman was trying to come up with a strong word that played off of that “ism” ending. A member of his high school newspaper staff several decades ago, Wellman came up with Journalism.

Publisher

Almost magically, Journalism will line up in the Kentucky Derby starting gate next to a horse with a closely related name: Publisher. A son of American Pharoah out of the Proud Citizen mare Indian Pride, Publisher does not share connections with Journalism: he is trained by Steve Asmussen for Gus King and the estate of the late Kentucky governor Brereton Jones. Should Publisher and Journalism form the Kentucky Derby exacta, expect a lot of ink about it!

For comic book fans

Render Judgment

Render Judgment was second in the Virginia Derby and fifth in the Blue Grass (G1) for 2024 Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Kenny McPeek and owners Baccari Racing Stable LLC, Dream Walkin Farms, MJM Racing, and Rocket Ship Racing.

To render judgment upon someone, in effect, you are casting blame based on information. Render Judgment is by 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame out of a mare named Barbara Gordon. Barbara Gordon is a DC Comics Character who has played both Batgirl and Oracle. In her iconic, more recent role as Oracle, she is a computer hacker and information broker, giving Batman the reliable background information he needs to catch the villains.

In fact, Barbara Gordon’s name is well given, too, and also fun for anyone who enjoys superhero lore. In the comic books, Barbara Gordon is the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon. The horse by that name is the daughter of the second-place finisher in the 2014 Belmont Stakes: Commissioner!

For Positive-Thinking Bettors

Sometimes, it’s just fun to bet a horse whose name suggests winning big on Derby Day. In the 2025 Kentucky Derby, there are two horses who have this kind of aura about them.

Chunk of Gold

Chunk of Gold, trained by Ethan West for owner Terry L. Stephens, made a name for himself on the road to the Kentucky Derby. After runner-up finishes in both the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. His name riffs on that of his dam, the Cairo Prince mare Play For Gold.

The Run for the Roses does run in the family: Play for Gold is a half-sister to My Boy Jack, who ran fifth behind Justify in the 2018 Kentucky Derby. But, Chunk of Gold himself sold for just $2,500 as a yearling. He has already earned almost 140 times that on the racetrack, and his connections hope he can find another chunk of gold, if you will, in the Kentucky Derby.

He’ll be one of the longest shots in the Kentucky Derby field, as well. So, anyone who bets on him will be able to buy their friends a lot of mint juleps if he ends up draped in a blanket of red roses on the first Saturday in May.

Grande

In horse racing, nothing says “going big” like the Kentucky Derby. That holds true for trainers, owners, and jockeys as they walk their horses over for the $5 million Kentucky Derby. That also holds true for bettors, who hope a clever exotic wager at Churchill Downs will lead to a life-changing score.

Grande, trained by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher for owner Repole Stable, earned his ticket to the Kentucky Derby on the strength of a second-place finish behind Rodriguez in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct. A son of Curlin out of the War Front mare Journey home, it’s simple why his name is so fitting for the biggest race of the year: Grande is the Spanish word for big!

Speed and Strength

When trying to find the name of a Kentucky Derby winner, some like to look for a name that encapsulates the ideal qualities of a winner. These names convey speed and strength, qualities their owners hope follow all the way to Churchill Downs on Derby Day.

Admire Daytona

The first major race of the NASCAR Cup season is the Daytona 500, making a horse whose name brings that event to mind an excellent fit for the greatest two minutes in sports.

Admire Daytona, trained by Yukihiro Kato for owner Junko Kondo, started on the Japan road to the Kentucky Derby and earned his way to Churchill Downs by nosing out Heart of Honor in the UAE Derby. The preface “Admire” is just a kanmei -- Japan-based owners who own a lot of horses often use an identifiable kanmei to denote all the horses who are theirs. But, the “Admire” part certainly works with “Daytona” … after all, the name of the game is speed in Daytona, just like it is at Churchill Downs!

Citizen Bull

Citizen Bull, trained by Bob Baffert for the partnership of SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC, and Catherine Donovan, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year and earned the Eclipse Award for champion two-year-old. He won’t be the first horse in Kentucky Derby betting after being defeated by Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby, but he is one of the strongest and most class-proven Kentucky Derby contenders.

Of course, there’s plenty of strength in his name … just as there is in the big, strong bull. Though, there’s also a bit of hope for a Derby day windfall within Citizen Bull’s name as well: co-owner Tom Ryan told Daily Racing Form in March that the name derives from the Citizen Bullhead, a luxury watch.

Waiting for a Spot

Though this horse is on the outside looking in, and hoping for a scratch before the first Saturday in May … if the road to the Kentucky Derby were based on how good the horses’ names were, he’d be near the top of the points list!

Baeza

Baeza needs a little luck to even get into the Kentucky Derby field: since the field came up short, he only got 37.5 qualifying points for being second in the Santa Anita Derby, leaving him waiting for defections despite running a bang-up second to Journalism in that final prep.

Trained by John Shirreffs for C R K Stable and Grandview Equine, Baeza is named for Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza. The human Baeza won the Kentucky Derby in 1963 with Chateaugay. He never rode a Preakness Stakes-winning horse, though he was second with both Chateaugay as well as Stupendous in 1966 and Arts and Letters in 1969. He won the Belmont Stakes three times during his career: with Sherluck in 1961, Chateaugay in 1963, and Arts and Letters in 1969. He won many other stakes races, including the Kentucky Oaks twice: with My Portrait in 1961 and Optimistic Gal in 1976.

If the equine Baeza were to win a Triple Crown race this year, he would make history of his own. Baeza is by McKinzie out of the Big Brown mare Puca. Puca is already well known to Triple Crown watchers: she is the dam of 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch.

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