Is 'Piston Broke' too rude for the racetrack? The racehorse names approved and banned by authorities

The sport of kings is full of colourful characters that can be quite creative when it comes to naming their racehorses. While most spend hours dreaming up a name suitable for a future champion, others are determined to see how far they can push the boundaries.

GALLERY: Check out the gallery of our favourite banned and clever approved racehorse names

The national governing body, Racing Information Services Australia (RISA), receives 54,000 name submissions annually and of that figure, about 13,000 are given the green light. The rude, crude and just plain offensive suggestions are turfed out at stage one.

Had they been approved, they would have left the race caller blushing and the crowd giggling like school girls.

HOOF HEARTED may appear sweet at first glance, but say it aloud a few times and you should be able to get a “scents” of why it’s not welcome at the track.

FAR CANAL falls into the same category. Initially, it sounds like a nice place to visit, but if this horse was to win, anyone watching would think the race caller had a bet his house on a rival.

You could be forgiven for thinking a horse named PISTON BROKE belongs to a motorsport fan, but really, that owner would be the ultimate party animal who’d probably be escorted from the track before race four.

Whoever thought WEAR THE FOX HAT was a top name for a thoroughbred was clearly misguided.

DEBBIE DOES GALLOP and LINDA LOVE RACE are in the wrong industry, and IRISH WRISTWATCH, well, you try saying it.

Trademarked brand names are also on the banned list, so we’ll never be cheering “Coca-Cola” or “McDonald's” down the home straight. Full names are not permitted either, so anyone planning to call their horse “George Burgess” will have to go back to the drawing board, although JESSICABEEL managed to slip through, winning the Group One Sydney Cup back in 2010.

CEO of RISA, Myles Forman, says names that are meaningless in English but crude in other languages present the greatest challenge.

“Occasionally, a horse will make it all the way to the track before someone who understands the name makes a complaint,” he said.

“In that case, we contact the appropriate consulate to establish the true meaning, and ban the name if necessary.”

For every naughty name, there is clever one with a nod to the horse’s pedigree.

A group of sharp-witted owners decided to call their Henry The Navigator/Shannon Bank gelding BANK ON HENRY and when he trounced the competition by several lengths, you can guess what the headline was.

HUGHES MY DADDY (Henny Hughes/We’ll See), PUSHY CAT (Top Echelon/Purr And Pounce), LONSEOME TONIGHT (Elvstroem/Dateless), IN THE MATRESS (Secret Savings/Al Mamzar), THE EIRE WE BREED (Eire/Sandy Princess), OFFWITHTHEFAIRIES (Dr Green/My Fairy Wings) and IMA NIGH SOURCE (say it quickly) all put smiles on the approving officers’ faces.

“Every horse name is clever in some way because the owners have either looked at the breeding or incorporated a personal meaning,” Mr Forman said.