1st-Presque Isle Downs, $30,600, Msw, 9-5, 2yo, f, 6f (AWT), 1:12.44, ft, 2 1/2 lengths.
KENWICK (f, 2, Bernardini–Bell Court, by Street Sense) O/B-Godolphin LLC (KY); T-Eoin G Harty.

The name of Saratoga winning filly Just F Y I (Justify) is a sort of an anagram (rearrangement of letters to form another name) of the moniker of her dad – which is kind of unusual and brave, and therefore worthy of praise. She won on her debut, so novelty and quality are part of her repertoire.

6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-26, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.06, ft, head.
JUST F Y I (f, 2, Justify–Star Act {SP, $147,605}, by Street Cry {Ire}). O/B-George Krikorian (KY); T-William I. Mott.

There was horseracing in antiquity, and there is antiquity in modern horseracing. So much so that a recent sprint stakes race at Parx Racing Aug. 22 produced a very classical exacta, with a close finish. The winner is called Gordian Knot (Social Inclusion), as in the famous head-scratching problem solved by Alexander The Great with a dramatic blow of his sword on his way to conquering Asia. The runner-up is named Praetorian Guard (Speightster), after the dangerous posse of Roman Emperors – made up of veteran bodyguards who on occasion became a mortal danger to the very ruler they were to protect. “No one reigns innocently”, as it has been said.

SALVATORE M. DEBUNDA SPRINT S., $75,000, Parx Racing, 8-22, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:19.83, ft.
1–GORDIAN KNOT, 126, g, 3, Social Inclusion-Mia,
by Put It Back. O-Joseph M. Imbesi. B- Mr. & Mrs. Joe Imbesi.
T-Guadalupe Preciado. $43,200. Lifetime Record: 8-6-0-1,
$386,960.
2–Praetorian Guard, 121, g, 3, Speightster–Super Shopper,
by Super Saver. ($25,000 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Conway Racing
LLC (Mark Conway), Over The Moon Racing and Innovest BC
LLC; B-Jimmy L. Gladwell, III (KY); T-Louis C. Linder, Jr. $14,400.

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BEHOLDER MILE S.-GI, $501,500, Santa Anita, 3-11, 4yo/up, f/m, 1m.
A MO REAY, 122, f, 4, Uncle Mo-Margaret Reay, by Pioneerof the Nile). Lifetime Record: 12-5-1-3, $692,650. O-Hunter Valley Farm; B-T & G Farm of Kentucky LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.
Not only is A Mo Reay a clever blend of two parts of a name (sire Uncle Mo and dam Margaret Reay), it also has assonance with the word Amore, so it is wordplay–pun or calembour–resonating name combination (with possibly a little touch of an indefinite article in front of it). Literary-award level brilliance, for me. And we are talking about a Grade I winner, so the Gods like the name.

7th-Oaklawn, Msw, 3-17, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m.
EXPONENTIAL STAR (f, 3, Accelerate–Star Number, by Polish Numbers). O-Ten Strike Racing; B-A. Leonard Pineau (MD); T-Lindsay Schultz.
One can find many different definitions of “exponential” online (many heavy on mathematics…), but I like this one of the many from Google: (of an increase) becoming more and more rapid. Therefore, the name of the Oaklawn 3-17 female winner Exponential Star is spot on. Actually, in that race she came from behind and was “clear at the wire”, so she fully deserves the name.

3rd-Chukyo, 1-15, Newcomers, 3yo, 1800m.
KISS ON THE CHEEK (JPN) (f, 3, Curlin–Eskimo Kisses {GISW, $711,102}, by To Honor and Serve). O-Shadai Race Horse Co Ltd; B-Shadai Farm (Jpn); T-Mikio Matsunaga.
Maybe rubbing noses to signify affection is just a cute necessity for Eskimos, in reason of the freezing weather. In any case, a U.S.-conceived but Japan-based winning 3-year-old filly out of the famous and excellent Kenny McPeek-trained Grade I-winning mare Eskimo Kisses has graduated to the more temperate name of Kiss on the Cheek. You gotta be looking forward to more progeny out of the dam: love will save the day, as the popular song goes.

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The name of Navan winner Gooloogong has an impeccable Down Under connection, being by renowned sire (and Epsom & Irish Derby winner) Australia. In fact, “Gooloogong is a village located in New South Wales, Australia, population 295”, according to Wikipedia. The name of the hamlet also evokes (with a very slightly different spelling) that of Australian tennis phenomenon Evonne Goolagong, who was born in Griffith (a town) and grew up in Barellan (a village)–both locations are in New South Wales and not that far from, yes!, Gooloogong. Evonne Goolagong won seven Grand Slam tournaments between 1971 and 1980; she was a true champion and could have shined even more if not for interruptions caused by motherhood and injuries. The colt in question is also expected to shine and have a bright future at the Derby distance, so race commentators better start practicing the pronunciations of his lovely name, which is spelt with only one vowel recurring five times–exotically challenging.

4th-Wolverhampton, £17,600, Novice, 3-30, 3yo, 8f 142y.
CICERO'S GIFT (GB) (c, 3, Muhaarar {GB}–Terentia {GB}, by Diktat {GB}). O-Rosehill Racing; B-Mrs F S Williams (GB); T-Charles Hills.

Cicero's Gift, a 3-year-old winner, has an intriguing name–deeply rooted in ancient Roman history. Terentia is the name of the dam of our promising colt, but also of the rich, engaged and dutiful wife of the famous writer/politician/lawyer Cicero (106BC-43BC), a colossus of the turbulent last century of the Roman Republic and contemporary of history heavyweights Julius Caesar, Crassus, Pompey. Cicero was both a philosopher and a man of action (or inaction, at times, as some critics say). The marriage eventually ended in divorce; Cicero soon had a new wife but was eventually assassinated by hitmen sent by rival Mark Anthony (Cleopatra's future beau). Terentia remarried too (twice), survived and prospered. What the “gift” in the name of our colt may allude to, we will probably never know–maybe that behind every great Roman consul there is a remarkable lady, clearly contributing to the good times.

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The name of Kentucky Downs 9-1-2022 brave post-to-post winner MENDEL'S SECRET (2yo, Mendelssohn–Donnie's Secret, by Tiger Ridge) is intriguing on many levels. It is very likely that there is a close connection with up-and-coming freshman sire MENDELSSOHN (2015 Bay Horse by Scat Daddy out of Leslie's Lady, by Tricky Creek), named after the great Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847). But Mendel is also the name of Augustinian friar Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a solitary genius who is thought of as the founder of modern genetics. Brother Gregor had a family background in farming and experimented with crossing different plants, like, famously, green peas with yellow peas. Mendel was greatly respected by legendary thoroughbred breeder Federico Tesio (1869-1954), who gave him a whole chapter in his “Breeding The Racehorse” masterpiece, with the title of the opening paragraph titled simply “Mendelism”. What Tesio writes to have learned from a lightning-quick reading of a book borrowed by a fellow train traveler between Pisa and Rome (the wizard of Dormello loved colorful tales) is that the racehorse is a hybrid, just like the dissimilar peas of Mendel, and therefore subject to the “laws” discovered by the monk – that is, the merry dance of “dominant” and “recessive” characters choreographed in the abbot's experiments. There is a lovely twist in the story: some modern scholars have questioned the outcomes of Mendel's experiments, deemed too consistent not to be suspicious – so much so that they have coined the expression “Mendelian Paradox” to indicate reported data that, statistically, are too good to be true. I feel a new name coming on.

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Clementine Ogilvy Spencer Churchill, nee Hozier (1885-1977), was the wife of the famous British politician and WW2 leader for 56 intense and fateful years. “Fortitude” is an expression that seems to abound in a recent novelized account of the life of Lady Clementine. The union was a loving and successful one by all accounts, even if the husband had quite a reputation for being mercurial and unpredictable, as epitomized in the famous story of the back-and-forth with Lady Nancy Astor, where the statement, “If you were my husband, I'd poison your tea” was followed by the quick-witted repartee “Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it!”

The filly in question “wide again around the far turn, bid three wide at the top of the lane and powered home along the outside”, says the racing report–so she may have some of her namesake's fortitude.

11th-Del Mar, $83,500, Msw, 7-30, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:35.85, fm, 1 1/4 lengths.
LADY CLEMENTINE (GB) (f, 3, Churchill {Ire}–Wind Fire {MSW & MGSP-Eng, $201,294}, by Distorted Humor) Lifetime Record: 5-1-2-2, $55,141. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Marc Detampel & Fergus Galvin; B-The Wind Fire Partnership (GB); T-George Papaprodromou.

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Romantic mishaps are very much to the fore in the cases of Iowa winner Jilted Bride (Wicked Strong) out of Cry at My Wedding and Churchill scorer Runaway Wife (Gun Runner) out of Perfect Wife–names that are clearly at opposite ends of the feminine spectrum of matrimonial disasters. Washington State winning mare Dontkissntell (Rosberg), out of Low Key Affair, on the other hand, calls for elegant discretion and unsuspicious nonchalance. In any case, love will win the day, as the old song goes.

4th-Ellis, $50,000, Msw, 7-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:35.02, fm, 1 length.

NECK ON THE NILE (f, 3, Cairo Prince–Kiss a Vet, by War Front) O-Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables, LLC; B-Estate Of Harvey A. Clarke (KY); T-Ben Colebrook.

IOWA DISTAFF S., $100,000, Prairie Meadows, 7-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:44.47, ft.

JILTED BRIDE, 126, m, 5, Wicked Strong–Cry At My Wedding, by Street Cry (Ire). ($37,000 RNA Wlg '17 KEENOV; $32,000 RNA Ylg '18 OBSOCT; $150,000 2yo '19 OBSMAR). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Bradley Thoroughbreds, Cambron Equine, LLC, Zane & Brady Carruth; B-Bobby Jones Equine LLC (FL); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Stewart Elliott. $60,000

5th-Churchill Downs, $115,060, Msw, 5-28, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:44.68, ft, 5 lengths.

RUNAWAY WIFE (f, 3, Gun Runner–Perfect Wife {SW, $107,699}, by Majesticperfection. O/B-Fern Circle Stables, LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek.

WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATORS S., $50,000, Emerald Downs, 7-24, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 1:15.65, ft.

DONTKISSNTELL, 121, m, 7, Rosberg–Low Key Affair, by Vying Victor. O-K D Thoroughbreds; B-Wendy Kruger (BC); T-Tom Wenzel; J-Jose Luis Zunino. $27,800

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There is a tight connection between horse and dam in the name of Belmont 2yo winner Lost Ark. Marion Ravenwood is Indiana Jones's co-protagonist in the 1981 movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The film signaled a late 20th-century return to great-scale action spectaculars and was incredibly successful. Marion Ravenwood, played by Karen Allen, is a unique and thought-provoking character, and not just a mere love interest and/or sidekick–“Indy, I am now your G*dam partner” is her famous line, spoken while holding a precious medallion, after a fire destroys her tavern in Nepal. Some of Marion's spirit and energy is echoed in this winning colt, who won by 5 1/2 lengths on his debut, repelling multiple challenges.

OUIJA BOARD DISTAFF S., $200,000, Lone Star, 5-30, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:35.13, fm. PARK AVENUE, 123, f, 4, Quality Road–Remarkable, by Indian Charlie. ($450,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Hronis Racing LLC; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-John W. Sadler; J-Victor Espinoza. $112,512. Lifetime Record: GSP, 11-4-3-1, $316,412.

Autostrada, f, 4, Quality Road–Cry to Kat's Me, by Street Cry (Ire). Lone Star, 7-3, 1 1/8mT, 1:50.88. Lifetime Record: 11-1-2-2, $49,752. B-KatieRich Farms (KY). *$375,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $25,000 3yo '21 KEENOV.

Some stallions' names are like a vein, or a stock shelf, for the naming of their progeny. Take Quality Road (Elusive Quality–Kobla, by Strawberry Road): two of his recent Lone Star winners are called Park Avenue (the Manhattan opposite of Skid Row) and Autostrada (Italian for interstate highway). Making sense is beautiful and often underappreciated. Serendipitous bonus: Park Avenue beat Avenue de France (Cityscape) into second.

An Italian native, Andrea Branchini now lives in Lexington, Ky., where he works in the equine transport industry.

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Last but not least–and please do not hold this against her–the original Queen Of The Skies was also a racehorse trainer. Best of luck to her also courageous equine namesake, who “made all of the running” in her Chelmsford victory: that is the spirit.

7th-Chelmsford City, €12,950, Novice, 6-2, 3yo/up, f, 10f (AWT), 2:05.24, st.
QUEEN OF THE SKIES (GB) (f, 3, Lope de Vega {Ire}– Westwiththenight {Ire}, by Cape Cross {Ire})
O-Mr A E Oppenheimer; B-Hascombe & Valiant Stud Ltd (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden.

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A number one song in America in the long hot summer of 1971 had these very first two lines: Wake up, Maggie, I think I got somethin' to say to you/It's late September and I really should be back at school.

The song was called “Maggie May” and made mullet-haired, raspy-voiced co-author Rod Stewart a world star.

It has only been fifty years or so, and now the young Churchill Downs winning colt LATE SEPTEMBER connects in his name with mama HELLO MAGGIE MAY–for audiences old and new, domestic and international (he may go to Royal Ascot). The connection is canny and sort of bittersweet, like the end of a summer. The song “Maggie May” was, after all, the story of a difficult and probably ill-fated sentimental journey of two runaways–one very young, the other not so much.

GAZELLE S.-GIII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 4-9, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:50.41, ft. 1–NOSTALGIC, 118, f, 3, by Medaglia d'Oro 1st Dam: Been Here Before (SP), by Tapit. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Jose L. Ortiz.

The name of Grade III winner NOSTALGIC contains an elegant reference to her dam BEEN HERE BEFORE.

Marital Bliss, c, 3, Unified–True Bliss, by Yes It's True. Horseshoe Indianapolis, 4-27, 1m, 1:41.07. Lifetime Record: 3-1-0-1, $28,580. B-Sally J. Andersen (FL). *$70,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $130,000 2yo '21 EASMAY

This is a brilliant name: marital bliss should really be unified and true bliss–yes, it's true.

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The one and only Mr. Bob Baffert has had quite a share of intriguingly named winners in the last few weeks. Incidentally, Baffert is himself the namesake of a brilliant Peruvian (and U.S.-bred) colt by his old alumnus Bodemeister–the 2-year-old being a fast horse who won by almost five lengths at five furlongs on his racetrack debut (from another hemisphere in more ways than one?).

8th-Los Alamitos, $54,312, Msw, 12-11, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.21, ft, 3 1/2 lengths. Doppelganger (c, 2, Into Mischief–Twice the Lady {SW & MGSP, $312,204}, by Quiet American) O-Golconda Stable, Madaket Stables LLC, SF Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Starlight Racing, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan, Robert E. Masterson, & Jay A. Schoenfarber; B-WinStar Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

Anyway, Baffert-trained Los Alamitos winner Doppelganger, being out of dam Twice the Lady and by the horse who has endeared us to mysterious conduct, has a really ingenious name. A doppelganger (in German literally a “double-walker”) is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person.

4th-Santa Anita, $65,660, Msw, 12-31, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.81, gd, 1 length. McLaren Vale (c, 2, Gun Runner–Magical Weekend, by Any Given Saturday) The winner is his dam's last American-born foal, as she was exported to Australia. O-Golconda Stable, Madaket Stables LLC, SF Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Starlight Racing, Stonestreet Stables, LLC, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan, Robert E. Masterson, & Jay A. Schoenfarber; B-Austramore Pty.Ltd (KY); T-Bob Baffert

McLaren Vale is another brilliant and young winner handled by the white-haired trainer from Nogales, Az. The name may be connected to the renowned Australian wine region south of Adelaide–a “Bacchic jukebox” of excellence for precious, famous and worldly vintages: Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, and so on. You name it, they produce it.

LA CANADA S.-GIII, $200,000, Santa Anita, 1-1, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:44.31, ft. As Time Goes By (m, 5, American Pharoah–Take Charge Lady {Broodmare of the Year, MGISW, $2,480,377}, by Dehere) O-Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale & Chelston (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat

You must remember this: As Time Goes By is a classy name for a lovely mare, as well as the classiest and most philosophical of love songs. No wonder Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa) and Humphrey Bogart (Rick) appeared to be fixated on it in “Casablanca” (1942), probably one of the best movies ever made. The lyrics are pure gold, including the line, “The fundamental things apply”, which rhymes efficiently with the following verse, the very title of the song. This wonderful female recently victorious at Santa Anita reiterates a fundamental thing applied to horse racing: that Bob Baffert has a permanent stable of well-bred prodigies.

9th-Aqueduct, $80,000, Msw, 12-2, 2yo, 1 1/8m, 1:56.14, ft, neck. Courvoisier (c, 2, Tapit–Take Charge Brandi {Ch. 2-year-old Filly, MGISW, $1,692,126}, by Giant's Causeway) O-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (J. G. Sikura) & James D. Spry; B-Elevage II, LLC & Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (KY); T-Kelly J. Breen.

While I suspect that there is some name wordplay with brilliant colt Courvoisier being out of the great mare Take Charge Brandi, I wonder what is the actual state of affairs between cognac (as Courvoisier definitely is) and brandy–aren't they both distilled fruit? I will stop at “cognac is the best brandy money can buy” and respect the all-out endorsement of Courvoisier by two famous members of the history-shaking Bonaparte family. Let's hope this young colt is also destined for a Napoleonic career.

4th-Santa Anita, $71,500, (S), (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($20,000), 1-2, 4yo/up, f/m, 6fT, 1:09.39, fm, 2 lengths. That's Amare (m, 5, Unusual Heat–Amare, by Flatter) Lifetime Record: 4-2-2-0, $112,580. O-Marsha Naify, Ali & Francie Nilforushan; B-Ali Nilforushan (CA); T-Philip D'Amato.

10th-Santa Anita, $72,000, (S), (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($20,000), 1-1, 4yo/up, 6fT, 1:09.49, gd, nose. Riding With Dino (g, 5, Vronsky–Belloma, by Yankee Gentleman) Lifetime Record: 10-3-4-2, $153,908. O-Paradise Farms Corp., Todd Cady, Roger Featherston & Jeffrey Lambert; B-G Krikorian (CA); T-Robert Hess, Jr. *$7,000 Ylg '18 BARJAN.

Finally, an old Italian crooner-in-the-sky may have had a little smile to himself with two winners at Santa Anita in the new year: That's Amare is very similar wording to the song “That's Amore” (1953), made famous by Dean Martin, who was born Dino Paul Crocetti–yes, Dino, as in Riding With Dino . Everybody loves a winner, sometimes.

An Italian native, Andrea Branchini now lives in Lexington, Ky., where he works in the equine transport industry.

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