We all seem to have one and according to those who claim to know the most about us it is one of our most prized possessions. I am speaking of course about our names. Yes, our names, most of us have more than one. Oddly enough, none of us really ever have any say-so into what name we are given. We just get tagged and then have to learn to adapt.

In the world of sports and athletes name becomes that athletes brand. It truly is the most valuable asset they will hold during the course of their career. The same can be said about names in the world of horse racing. Those names become brands for a different reason.

That's why each thoroughbred racehorse has to be registered if the horse is going to compete at tracks across the country or around the world. The exacting identification is needed if breeders in the sport hope to trace the bloodline of each animal and keep that bloodline pure.

As you might imagine coming up with a "unique name" for your horse might be a little difficult. Quite often a breeder or trainer will name the young horse with a name that is a combination of his father's name and his mother's name. Since bloodlines are so important, that only helps with the branding of the new horse.

Philippe Oursel via Unsplash.com
Philippe Oursel via Unsplash.com
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Then again, some racehorse owners, trainers, breeders, family members, random racing fans just pick a moniker out of thin air. Sometimes the names become famous, oftentimes they become infamous. Remember a horses name is said out loud, and depending on how the announcer says it, there may or may not be trouble.

For example, Hoof Hearted sounds fine when you read it but when you hear it said out loud during a race call, it sounds like this.

Recently in Japan a horse with the name Sumomomomomomomomo, yes, that is the horse's real name broke her maiden. In racing terms, that means she won her first race. If you were wondering how the sound of the track announcer call went, it went just as hilariously as you were thinking it might.

Turn up the volume and listen to this track announcer take on the name Sumomomomomomomomo.

That was Sumomomomomomomomo's first win, it came in her 12th race. Now, if you're wondering about the origin of the name. Namely, does it have meaning or did they just pick the name to see if they could make a track announcer's head explode, the answer is yes, it does have meaning.

The name is based on a Japanese tongue twister. Nope, didn't see that coming. Of course, it's based on a Japanese tongue twister. If you're not keen on your Japanese tongue twisters this would be the one "plums and peaches are both peaches". That seems so much more elegant than selling seashells at a seashore or discussing the health of the seventh sheikh's seventh sheep.

Sam Carter via Unsplash.com
Sam Carter via Unsplash.com
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Congratulations to the connections of Sumomomomomomomomo. I know you are quite pleased with the win and the attention that your horse is getting. My prediction for Sumomomomomomomomo is that the horse's name will soon be incorporated into one of those K-Pop Boy Band songs and will become a worldwide sensation. It's happened before. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious did it so why not Sumomomomomomomomo too?

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