Every Kentucky Derby winner, ranked by greatness of name
By Zoe West
![LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 05: Mario Gutierrez (L) atop I'll Have Another is led to the starters gate before the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 05: Mario Gutierrez (L) atop I'll Have Another is led to the starters gate before the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/fd17c0d019a78b8d4469983fc90f7c69aa9e3b9a662faaae475a0c1a7910257f.jpg)
102. Sir Huon (1906): Named after German opera character.
101. Clyde Van Dusen (1929): Gets bonus points for being named after his trainer, just for kicks.
100. Determine (1954): Determination might have been cooler.
99. Pleasant Colony (1981): Not bad, but nothing special.
98. Omaha (1935): Triple Crown winner, not an offensive name, but no real reason for it either.
97. Johnstown (1939): What is the significance of Johnstown?
96. Forward Pass (1968): A bit boring.
95. Tim Tam (1958)
94. Buchanan (1884): May have been named after the president?
93. Go for Gin (1994)
92. Bubbling Over (1926): This one’s just funny.
91. Plaudit (1898): Good creative name, not super memorable though.
90. Carry Back (1961)
89. Lookout (1893)
88. Kingman (1891): Why is he only the King’s man, not the king?
87. I’ll Have Another (2012): Fairly boring, but not offensive.
86. Decidedly (1962): Just a word.
85. Omar Khayyam (1917): Was a Persian mathematician and astronomer. Good but obscure person to be named after.
84. Count Turf (1951): Only because he didn’t race on the turf.
83. Gallant Fox (1930): Triple Crown winner but also odd name for…not a fox.
82. Animal Kingdom (2011): This seems like an odd name for a racehorse.
81. Sunny’s Halo (1983): Not terrible, but not very creative.
80. Twenty Grand (1931): In those days 20 grand was quite a bit of money.
79. Stone Street (1908)
78. Pensive (1944): First ballot “why” Hall of Fame, only because I don’t think you want your horse worrying all the time?
77. Old Rosebud (1914)
76. Alysheba (1987): Cool sounding name, but doesn’t really mean anything
75. Lucky Debonair (1965): It’s never a good idea to put “Lucky” in your horse’s name.
74. Bold Forbes (1976): Boring ending wastes a good beginning to the name.
73. Gato Del Sol (1982): Creative way to essentially name a horse “sun cat,” but what’s the appeal?