Play the Belmont Stakes name game

The Mendoza Line blog

BY ALEX FUMELLI

Monday, June 1, 2009 12:07 PM EDT

One of the most interesting tendencies sometimes followed when naming a thoroughbred horse is to combine the names of its parents. This was the topic of a story I wrote previewing the Belmont Stakes for this week's Courier.

For the literal-minded among us, here is a real, straightforward example of such a sire/dam/offspring equation:

Chateaugay + Glenpavia = Chateaupavia

Here are two better examples:

Red God + Runaway Bride = Blushing Groom

Mineshaft + Spy Novel = Miner's Escape

As the Stakes approach on Saturday, June 6, I invite you to get in on all this creative horse-naming. Using any two competitors in this year's Belmont Stakes as the parents -- and yes, we know that the members of this male crowd will never actually breed -- give me your best equation. In the comments section below, post the most original submission you can come up with. Let's see how creative we can be.

Here's the complete list:

Brave Victory

Chocolate Candy

Charitable Man

Dunkirk

Flying Private

Luv Gov

Mine That Bird

Miner's Escape

Mr. Hot Stuff

Nowhere to Hide

Summer Bird

I'll name a winner in my blog post two weeks from now. The grand prize: a free copy of The Queens Courier, available at a bank, pharmacy, post office, or street corner near you.

Good luck!