Naming the thoroughbred may be a harder task than naming a child. There are many rules and regulations, not only about declaring a horse a thoroughbred, but about the names that can be used. It is a process that takes a lot of time effort and money. It is also interesting to note if you have every watch a horse race and said "How on earth did they come up with that name?" Now you ma learn a part of that puzzle.
First lets examine the classes of names that are not eligible for use.
*names consisting of more than 18 characters
*names consisting entirely of initials
*names ending in horse terms like colt, filly or stud
*names consisting entirely of numbers (numbers above thirty can be used if they are spelled out)
*names ending with a numerical destination i.e. the 2nd.
*names of a living person, there is written permission on file with The Jockey's Club
*names of a person no longer living unless approval is granted by The Jockey's Club - approval is considered with a written explanation submitted to the Registrar
*names of racetracks or graded stakes races
*names clearly having commercial, artistic, or creative significance
*names that are suggestive or have a vulgar of obscene meaning, names considered in poor taste, name that may be considered offensive
*names that are currently active either in racing or breeding
*names of winners in the past 25 years of grade one stakes races
*permanent names - a permanent name meets the following criteria -Horses in racings' Hall of Fame -Horses that have been voted Horse of the Year -Horses that have won and Eclipse Award -Horses that have won a Sovereign Award -Annual leading sire and broodmare sire by progeny earnings -Cumulative money winners of $2 million or more -Horses that have won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes, The Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Breeders' Cup Classic or the Breeders' Cup Turf -Horses included in the International List of Protected names
*names similar in spelling or pronunciation to protected names
So you have looked at all the names you can not use. You have perused the books to see what names are in current use. You think that you have come up with a fantastic name for your thoroughbred. What's to say that someone else didn't come up with exactly the same name? It happens more than The Jockey Club likes to talk about.
When applying for the name you are given several choices for the Registrar to choose from. This avoids having to pay additional fees if there are problems with the names being approved. If you have a spectacular name, but no foal, you can reserve the name for a year. If the reserved name is not used by February 1th the next year it is released.
It certainly sheds some light on the interesting names that are listed on the racing forms.
References www.equine.com