Thursday, June 02, 2005
What's in a name?
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- A thoroughbred owner filed a federal lawsuit seeking the right to name a 2-year-old filly after Sally Hemings, the slave who was the reputed mistress of Thomas Jefferson. The Jockey Club, which regulates the naming of thoroughbred racehorses, denied use of the name on grounds that Hemings was a famous or notorious person, requiring stewards' approval. ''Naming a thoroughbred horse 'Sally Hemings' may be offensive to persons of African descent and other ethnic groups'' and may be offensive to Hemings' descendants, Ogden Mills Phipps, chairman of The Jockey Club, wrote in a letter last year.
Garrett Redmond filed suit last week in U.S. District Court, seeking to force the Jockey Club to let him use the name and allow the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to let him race the filly under the name. ''To name a horse after someone is an honor,'' said Redmond, owner of Ballycapple, a farm in Paris, Ky. ''I have a horse here named after my wife.'' Redmond, a history buff, thought the proposed name was perfect, since the filly's mother is a mare named Jefferson's Secret, who in turn was fathered by a stallion named Colonial Affair.
Yes, it seems clear from this that Mr. Redmond is interested in "honoring" Sally Hemings. Whatever his motives, why "persons of African descent" would be offended by this is beyond me. It seems the only people with a possible (if unsympathetic) grievance might be the stewards of Mr. Jefferson's legacy right here in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Meanwhile, as this bit of news implies, one must be careful what one leaves out of a horse's name as well.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- A 6-year-old racehorse named Rain, Hail or Shine died in its paddock Wednesday after being struck by lightning, its trainer said.
1 Comments:
By 
, at
Wed Nov 07, 04:58:00 AM:
so harvery, does the majority of your income derive from online horse racing betting? I make a mint doing this. The future of sports betting is on the internet - knowledge is power and this medium offers full price transparency combined with the ability to get tips from other punters :)
