By now you’ve heard that the winner of the 2018 Kentucky Derby was Justify. But did you catch the names of the other competitors? What were the odds for Audible? Vino Rosso? Free Drop Billy?
This fun article at The Week offers Kentucky Derby odds, determined solely based on the quality of each horse’s name. You’ll find out where each name came from as well as the great names of the horses’ sires and dams.
Here’s what author Jeva Lange has to say about Justify:
Justify
Odds based on name alone: 5/1
Actual odds: 3/1
Analysis: If Justify is to win the Kentucky Derby, he will have to overcome Apollo’s Curse, although bookies obviously believe that won’t be a problem. For our purposes — which involve completely disregarding any real world facts or supernatural destinies — Justify would finish just out of the money thanks to his name, which is a little more Microsoft Word than it is chivalrous and knightly. WinStar Farm president Elliott Walden told the Louisville Courier Journal: “We think [the name’s] important. We look at it like, ‘If this horse wins the Kentucky Derby, would this be a cool name? I don’t want ‘Jim Bob’s Corvette.'” First of all, Jim Bob’s Corvette is a great name for a horse. Secondly, can we pause to appreciate the name of Justify’s damsire, Ghostzapper?