Every Kentucky Derby winner, ranked by greatness of name
By Zoe West
124. Lord Murphy (1879): Who was Lord Murphy? As far as I know, just a horse.
123. Judge Himes (1903): It might sound like it, but it doesn’t appear that Judge Himes was a namesake.
122. Morvich (1922): Any connections the horse had to Morvich, Scotland, are obscure if there at all. This is an odd name for anyone.
121. Chant (1894): Chant could be a nice enough name… I guess…
120. Hoop, Jr. (1945): I would have given this horse an easier time if his owner wasn’t also named Hoop.
119. Halma (1895): Looks like this poor horse may have been named after a board game…
118. Riley (1890): Not a bad name, but not remarkable or memorable.
117. Ben Brush (1896)
116. Hill Gail (1952): I don’t get it.
115. Swale (1984): Doesn’t seem like the right name for a horse, any horse.
114. Tomy Lee (1959): It’s not “Tommy” it’s “Tomy,” for some reason.
113. Lil E. Tee (1992): The story of how he got his name is amusing but doesn’t inspire confidence.
112. Super Saver (2010): No one involved in the Derby can be called a “super saver.”
111. Brokers Tip (1933): This was a rather timely name during the Great Depression.
110. Elwood (1904): What?
109. Donerail (1913): Not sure what this means, not sure what to think of it.
108. Lawrin (1938): This is a cool word, but I don’t know that it means anything.
107. Pink Star (1907): An odd choice.
106. Montrose (1887): I don’t understand it.
105. Agile (1905): This seems to hold no significance. There must have been a better name.
104. Baden Baden (1877): I guess whoever named him must have been German?
103. Meridian (1911): Creative if nothing else.