A 2-year-old colt that won its racing debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis this week has been stripped of its name after The Jockey Club's Registrar ruled it ineligible under a naming rule, following a complaint alleging it referenced Adolf Hitler. The colt, formerly registered as Austrian Painter, is now officially Merrylegs, following a complaint that the name was being used online as coded shorthand for the Nazi leader.
The Jockey Club ruled that Austrian Painter was ineligible for registration under Rule 6.F.9.d, which bars names likely to be offensive or threatening based on national origin, race, religion, or politics, according to Boston 25 News. Hitler was born in Austria and worked as an artist before rising to lead the Nazi Party in Germany, a biographical detail that made the name's double meaning hard to miss once it circulated. As The Guardian reports, the phrase “Austrian Painter” has circulated online as a coded euphemism meant to slip references to Hitler past automated content moderation, which is why the name set off alarm bells once people noticed it.
Sired by Sleepy Eyes Todd out of Galileta, the colt won his racing debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Owner Cited an Artist and a Band, but Records Tell a Different Story
Owner and breeder Scott Herbertson initially pushed back against critics online, saying he would not change the name while insisting the colt was named for Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, per reporting cited by Racing Post. He also said that a filly he had registered as New Order, a full sister to the colt, was named after his favorite British rock band.
But New Order carries its own dark double meaning: it is also a term associated with the Nazis' plan for occupying Europe, according to facts confirmed by Boston 25 News. And the pattern goes back further. Before The Jockey Club accepted Austrian Painter, Herbertson had submitted two other names for review — My Struggle, the English translation of Hitler's manifesto Mein Kampf, and Braunau Star, a reference to Braunau am Inn, Hitler's Austrian birthplace, according to Racing Post.
Enforcement Extended to a Sibling Filly
The Jockey Club's review didn't stop with the racehorse. Regulators also revoked the registered name New Order from the colt's full sister, returning her to unnamed status, Racing Post reports. The Jockey Club said in a statement that it takes these matters seriously and appreciates that the issue was brought to its attention, per Boston 25 News.
A Rebuke Under Decades-Old Naming Rules
The colt was renamed after making its official race debut. Under Rule 6.F.9.d of the Principal Rules and Requirements of The American Stud Book, names are barred if they are likely to be offensive or threatening based on national origin, race, religion, or politics.
There is precedent for this kind of intervention. In 2019, The Jockey Club renamed a horse from Noose to Scabbard, The Guardian reported.
