LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Memorable names often draw the attention of big betters looking for a win.

"The really good horses you just think of their names right away, and it just invokes a memory and invokes an image in your mind," said Andrew Chesser with the Jockey Club.

But what does it take to name a horse? The Jockey Club in Lexington is responsible for approving the names of all thoroughbreds in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

"Owners and trainers have a million other things to think about when it comes to owning and having a racehorse, but naming often rises to the top of what they're thinking about," Chesser said.

Last year the Jockey Club reviewed more than 36,000 names submitted by owners. They approved just over 26,000 Most rejects were repeats. Others broke the very specific guidelines set out in the rule book.

When it comes to length, the name can't be more than 18 characters.

"Spaces and punctuation count toward that total," explained Chesser.

Some owners get creative, taking out the spaces like Oaks contender "Birdatthewire."

Initials are a no-no, and it can't be a copyrighted name. But, pop culture often gives owners some direction.

"I remember back in the 90s there were a lot of Seinfeld references, back when the show was very popular," Chesser said.

Named after the famous Seinfeld line, racehorse "No Soup For You" competed in 1998. But, actually naming the horse after Jerry Seinfeld, that's another story.

"You can name it after a person so long as you have written permission from said person or a written explanation as to why you want to name it after that person," Chesser told WDRB.

When it comes to trying to sneak in naughty names, don't even think about it. The Jockey Club uses sophisticated software, even

urbandictionary.com

, to make sure they're not missing anything.

"We look very closely at names that could be derived as being offensive to a group of people or a person, names that could be used to defame," he explained.

So what's in a name? A lot of thought, and even more hoops to jump through.

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