US Jockey Club orders horse named Austrian Painter to be renamed
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 24, 2026, 12:05 PM
Last updated Sep 24, 2026
The US Jockey Club has mandated that a racehorse named Austrian Painter be renamed due to its reference to Adolf Hitler, born in Austria. The horse won its debut race at Horseshoe Indianapolis on Monday. Following a formal complaint, the Jockey Club ruled the name was found to be offensive, citing rules against names likely to be seen as threatening or offensive. The horse's owner, Scott Herbertson, suggested the name was inspired by artist Gustav Klimt. Austrian Painter will now be renamed Merrylegs, and the horse's sister, New Order, must also be renamed for potential Nazi connotations.
- •Austrian Painter won its debut race on Monday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
- •The name was ruled offensive following a formal complaint.
- •The Jockey Club will rename Austrian Painter to Merrylegs.
- •The horse's sister, New Order, must also be renamed.
- •The Jockey Club has a history of renaming horses for offensive names.
- 12:05 PMYahoo Sports — US Jockey Club orders racehorse Austrian Painter to be renamed due to Hitler reference
"The US Jockey Club has ordered a racehorse to be renamed after ruling the animal’s name was a reference to Adolf Hitler. Austrian Painter won its debut race at the Horseshoe Indianapolis track on Monday. Hitler, who was born in Austria, was a professional artist in Vienna before the first world war.
Sources
External linksOriginal reporting and copyright belong to the linked sources. SportsNewsReport.com aggregates and links — it does not republish full articles.
Related Stories
Last 14 days- Horse Racing•Sep 22, 2026, 6:24 AM7 things to watch in MLB's final week include red-hot NL wild-card race, a Triple Crown chase and a historically bad division
- Horse Racing•Sep 21, 2026, 11:45 AMDaywatch: Hammond and Arlington Heights fans hope to land Bears’ new home
Horse Racing•Sep 21, 2026, 9:15 AMFirst Sunday Polo matches for Aiken's fall season postponed due to rain
Horse Racing•Sep 20, 2026, 7:03 PM3 jockeys injured, horse euthanized after 6-horse accident at Churchill Downs
Horse Racing•Sep 20, 2026, 6:10 AMToday on Sky Sports Racing: Edelak and Mojito Des Mottes clash at Plumpton
Horse RacingHorse Racing•Sep 20, 2026, 1:47 AM'America’s first extreme sport' is coming to Cheyenne: Putting Indian Relay in perspective
