Dry Aussie humour or total filth? Racing boss takes action over obscene horse names

Two Queensland-based horses have made international headlines for all the wrong reasons. The two horses in question were racing at Deagon Racecourse in the northern suburbs of Brisbane on Tuesday last week when punters noticed something X-rated about their names.

The horses, both trained by Darryl Ward and ridden by jockey Bobby El-Issa, are named Lovin’ Deqoque and Get On Deqoque. While some punters found the names hilarious, others questioned how they had been allowed, with Twitter user @StevoRidge1 writing, “Interesting how the #1 in Trial 8 and #5 in Trial 9 got through the system when named.”

Interesting how the #1 in Trial 8 and #5 in Trial 9 got through the system when named @Punters pic.twitter.com/uFcZROH0Gp

— Steve (@StevoRidge1) December 29, 2020

According to Racing Australia’s horse naming guidelines, the racing body can refuse to register a name or cancel the registered name of a horse where the name “is suggestive, scandalous or has a vulgar or obscene meaning”.

And Racing Australia is true to its word, as the racing body is now taking action. Myles Foreman, Racing Australia CEO, told 7News on Saturday that the organisation is working with the owner to change the names. “Racing Australia has now reviewed the names and, irrespective of how they are intended to be pronounced, is working with the owner for the names of the horses to be changed before they next race,” he said.

This is a recent development, as Foreman originally told reporters, “We contact the owners when they lodge the names, to make sure we know how [they] are pronounced and what the meaning of the name is. And in this case it’s De-quo.”

There’s a good chance the corporation decided to double back on their decision after mounting pressure from punters.

It’s not the first time a horse owner has made headlines for an obscene name. In September 2018, Racing NSW slapped an 18-month ban on an owner for naming his horse Andiamo Fica, pedestrian.tv reported at the time. And while the name may seem fine at first, if you pop it into Google Translate, you can see why Racing NSW had to get involved. (Andiamo Fica is Italian for ‘Let’s Go C**t’.)