Kentucky Derby: Where Did The Horses' Names Come from?

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The meaning behind the names of the 19 horses running in the 140th Kentucky Derby in post position order. The No. 1 stall in the starting gate will be empty after Hoppertunity was scratched:

2. VICAR'S IN TROUBLE: Sire is Into Mischief and Vicar is a name on the dam's side.

3. HARRY'S HOLIDAY: His sire is Harlan's Holiday.

4. UNCLE SIGH: Named for Uncle Si Robertson of reality TV show "Duck Dynasty"; colt's co-owner is a fan of show. He donates at least 10 percent of his horses' earnings to charities supporting injured military veterans.

5. DANZA: Sire is Street Boss and one of the owners says he's a tough colt; Tony Danza, best known for his roles on the TV comedies "Taxi" and "Who's the Boss?" served as human inspiration.

6. CALIFORNIA CHROME: Owners picked name out of a hat; chrome refers to the bay colt's coloring.

7. SAMRAAT: Owned by Leonard Riggio, chairman of Barnes & Noble bookstore chain.

8. WE MISS ARTIE: Named for late family friend of owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

9. GENERAL A ROD: No connection to baseball's Alex Rodriguez.

10. VINCEREMOS: Name is Spanish word that means "we will overcome."

11. WILDCAT RED: Sire is D'wildcat and an owner though his coat looked red when colt was younger.

12. DANCE WITH FATE: Sire is Two Step Salsa and dam is Flirting With Fate.

13. CHITU: Trainer Bob Baffert says colt is named for a standout horse from China and it's pronounced "Chee-too."

14. MEDAL COUNT: Son of Dynaformer, who sired ill-fated 2006 Derby winner Barbaro.

15. TAPITURE: Extension of sire's name Tapit.

16. INTENSE HOLIDAY: Sire is Harlan's Holiday and dam is Intensify. Chris Mara, senior VP of player personnel for NFL's Giants, is a partner in Starlight Racing, which owns the colt. His daughters are actresses Rooney and Kate Mara.

17. COMMANDING CURVE: Sire's name is Master Command.

18. CANDY BOY: Sire is Candy Ride and the name Candy Girl is on its side of the breeding.

19. RIDE ON CURLIN: Sire is two-time Horse of the Year Curlin and dam is Magical Ride.

20. WICKED STRONG: Named for victims of last year's Boston Marathon bombings and a nod to Bostonians' habit of using "wicked" as an adjective.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

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