Five Kentucky Derby names that recall figures of the past

Apr 27, 2019 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

There are no set rules in the naming of Thoroughbreds, only limitations as enforced by The Jockey Club. Quite often, nomenclatural inspiration is drawn from a figure or event of the distant or not-so-distant past. Sometimes there is no actual link as such, but the name itself still conjures up an image of a prominent personality.

Who comes to mind when we peruse some of the participants in the 2019 Kentucky Derby?

A cleverly-named son of the stallion First Samurai and the broodmare Pun. There have been many insult comics to come down the pike, perhaps none better than Don Rickles, who leant his name to two stakes-quality Thoroughbreds. The better of the two won the 1983 Nashua (G3) and placed in the Hopeful (G1).

One of several horses owner Rick Porter has named referencing World War II, who else to recall but the Supreme Allied commander and future president Dwight D. Eisenhower ? 'Ike' was not an unfamiliar figure at the racetrack, presenting the trophy to the winning connections of 1961 Belmont Stakes winner Sherluck.

An open two-seat car often associated with racing, the roadster first became widely available to the masses via the Ford Motor Company's Model T version. Any thought of automobiles brings to mind Henry Ford's outsized influence.

Named for the famous senator and historian of Ancient Rome, Tacitus authored Annals and Histories. The two works chronicle roughly eight decades in the history of the Roman Empire, beginning with the death in 14 AD of the Empire's first emperor, Caesar Augustus. A fitting choice if not that of Tacitus himself.

A son of War Front and Visions of Clarity, War of Will's name brings to mind Winston Churchill's ascension to the premiership of Great Britain in 1940 and the motivational calls to his countrymen to resist with all their might the tyranny threatening at their nation's doorstep. No relation to the namesake family of the Kentucky Derby site, Churchill nonetheless was a prominent fancier of and participant in the Sport of Kings.