For purposes of this discussion, it is important to remember that the “A” in “AI” stands for “artificial.” And “artificial,” according to Noah Webster and the Merriam brothers, is something “made, produced, or done by humans especially to seem like something natural.”
The “intelligence” half of “AI” is a whole ‘nother bag of worms, usually defined like beauty, which is to say, always in the eye of the beholder. That something as ephemeral as intelligence can be made, produced, or done by humans to mimic some narrowly defined definition of the concept seems a fool’s errand. But here we are, and everyone wants to play.
Now comes Naming AI, a new item on the Jockey Club’s menu of registration services that supplements the list of Thoroughbred names already in use, reserved, or protected against further use at all. Andrew Chesser, director of registration services and director of business development for the Jockey Club, acknowledged that Naming AI is entering an arena traditionally reserved for proud horse owners, but he insists there is no intent to poach on their creative ground.
“I’m always amazed at the personal stories that go behind naming horses, whether its based on something that’s happened in their lives, or on the pedigree, or a favorite lyric from a song,” Chesser said. “This is a tool, an aid, and certainly not meant to preclude somebody coming up with something on their own.”
An AI workshop offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology describes AI as “a broad field that encompasses many different disciplines, including computer science, data analytics and statistics, hardware and software engineering, linguistics, neuroscience, and even philosophy and psychology.” Chesser promises more AI applications to come from the Jockey Club.
“I like to think of (Naming AI) as a foreshadowing of what the Jockey Club can put out in the future, based on the same technology,” Chesser said. “I think naming was the most streamlined and straightforward place to start, based on what AI does in terms of large language modeling.”
So, is Naming AI a tool or a toy? We report, you decide. But first, a test drive.
Let’s say you’ve bought the first foal of 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna by champion stallion Into Mischief . She’s a beauty, but she needs a name, and you’ve agonized long and hard and can’t come up with anything that would do her justice. In desperation, you go to Naming AI for inspiration.
It’s an easy couple of clicks and strokes on the Jockey Club site to get from the home page to the Naming AI service, which costs nothing, as opposed to your filly. There are choices on the screen: number of names to generate, words in the name (one, two, or three), and a word or words to give AI a hint about your thinking. There is also an option to add pedigree names to the mix, specifically from the dam side of the family, going back as far as three generations.
Taking baby steps, you request five names, with two words in the name, and then—not to be overly original—you type “anna” and “mischief” as key words. Bells, whistles and sirens go off (just kidding), then up pops the suggestions: Mischief Dance, Annas Mischief, Annas Whisper, Annas Joy, and Quiet Mischief.
Kinda blah, right? Let’s press the Generate Names bar again and get a fresh five names. Here we go: Gentle Anna, Sudden Mischief, Morning Anna, and repeats of Mischief Dance and Annas Joy.
So far, nothing inspiring. But one more punch of Generate Names is worth a try, only by now Naming AI is clearly losing patience. Up comes Annas Prank, Annas Delight, Whimsical Anna, a repeat of Annas Mischief, and the always popular Mischief Dance.
In fact, most owners have their own AI naming software. It’s called an “active imagination,” and your reporter happens to have access to a bootleg copy. The Into Mischief-Thorpedo Anna cocktail was shaken, stirred, and out came a few possible names, including Accidental Launch, Hammer and Thong, Nuke ‘Em Anna, and Okie Dokie Loki, which is a personal favorite but falls flat if it needs explaining.
Let’s face it. Every racing fan, from owners to occasionals, loves to play the naming game. As a lad who spent way more time in the pages of Turf and Sport Digest than my Lutheran catechism, I would enter the magazine’s Thoroughbred naming contests in hopes of collecting a year’s subscription. My suggestion for a son of 1961 Wood Memorial winner Globemaster did not win, but I guarantee it was more creative than Astromaster, Global Star, or Globe Dancer, all names approved for Globemaster foals that sound like AI before there was AI.
Everyone has their sweet spots. As an unapologetic movie buff, I celebrated the day Fred C. Dobbs went postward at Santa Anita Park. Since then, I have waited in vain for someone to name a horse Sidney Falco, Jake Gittes, or Clark Griswold. Then, from out of the blue, came a name that tops them all.
Frank Bullitt made his debut last summer at Del Mar, disappeared for a while, then returned in December at Los Alamitos Race Course—with blinkers on and testicles off—to jump up with an 89 Beyer Speed Figure while winning a maiden special for California-breds. He came right back in January to finish a game third after setting the pace in a turf sprint at Santa Anita.
Frank Bullitt is trained by Debbie Winick, who bred and owns the son of Grazen with partners Mike Tannyhill and Gregg Weeks. The dam is Wink and Wish, by Tribal Rule.
Frank Bullitt is also the title character from Bullitt, a 1968 action classic starring Steve McQueen as a hip, taciturn San Francisco detective who drives at great speeds on city streets. Winick gives Tannyhill credit for suggesting the name.
“Everything from that family has speed,” Winick said. “Mike reminded us about the movie, which we all love. And after all, Frank Bullitt does drive a Mustang, though not a lot of people remember who that is.”
Shame on a lot of people.
“I was a very young teenager when the movie came out,” Winick said. “But I did have a poster of Steve McQueen in my bedroom, on a motorcycle from The Great Escape.”
As a good faith experiment, the words “steve” and “mcqueen” were entered as prompts in the Jockey Club’s Naming AI, and a one-word name was requested. The answer was “Bullitt.” Not bad.
Frank Bullitt, the horse, runs again Feb. 17 at Santa Anita in a 6 1/2-furlong race carded for the turf.
“He’s in the one-hole, so we’re going to take the semi-cup blinkers off, because he needs to rate a little bit,” said Winick, whose stable silks will be worn once again by Tyler Baze.
“They’re green,” Winick said, “just like Bullitt’s Mustang.”
