Debut victory and formal complaint

A two-year-old racehorse named Austrian Painter won its debut race on Monday at the Horseshoe Indianapolis racecourse in Indiana. Shortly after the victory, The Jockey Club received a formal complaint regarding the colt's moniker. The phrase Austrian Painter serves on multiple online platforms as a euphemism and code word for Adolf Hitler, used by internet users to bypass content moderation filters. Hitler was born in Austria and attempted to work as a painter in Vienna before entering German politics. Following the complaint, the breed registry opened an immediate inquiry into whether the name breached official standards.

“Earlier this week, the Registry was notified through a formal complaint that the name was offensive, and we immediately began a review.”

Regulatory ruling and rule violations

The Jockey Club, the organization that oversees the naming and registration of thoroughbred racehorses in the United States, concluded its investigation on Wednesday. Officials determined that the moniker violated Rule 6.F.9.d of the American Stud Book. The provision prohibits designations considered offensive or discriminatory across multiple categories, including national origin, race, religion, and politics. Regulators ordered the horse's name changed to Merrylegs.

“The Registrar determined that the name is ineligible under Rule 6.F.9.d, which prohibits names that are likely to be offensive or threatening based upon factors including, but not limited to, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion, politics, or sexual orientation.”

Owner explanation and secondary horse dispute

The horse's owner and breeder, Scott Herbertson, expressed disagreement with the ruling and maintained that the name contained no reference to Hitler. Herbertson stated on social media and to the equine portal Horse Racing Nation that the colt was named after Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt, noting that his wife's family originates from Austria. The owner's daughter subsequently selected the replacement name Merrylegs, inspired by the pony in Anna Sewell's novel Black Beauty. Reporting from Horse Racing Nation indicated that Herbertson had previously submitted other controversial names with links to Hitler, including My Struggle, the English translation of Mein Kampf.

The review also extended to another horse owned by Herbertson. The Jockey Club revoked the name of New Order, a two-year-old filly and full sister to Merrylegs. The phrase New Order described Nazi Germany's geopolitical framework for dominating occupied Europe during the Second World War. Herbertson stated that the filly was named after his favourite British rock group, New Order, rather than the wartime regime. The filly currently remains without a registered racing name while a replacement is processed.

Registry precedents and naming standards

The intervention by The Jockey Club is not the first instance of a forced name change in American horse racing. In 2019, the registry compelled the renaming of a horse initially registered as Noose, which was changed to Scabbard following concerns over its connotations. The organization maintains strict screening protocols for thousands of registered thoroughbreds to avoid names that cause public offense or violate ethical codes.