Horsey McHorseFace

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Australian owners have named their racehorse Horsey McHorseface

It was inspired by a UK poll that chose Boaty McBoatface as the name for a $300m research ship

CNN  — 

Hoof Hearted, Shakalakaboomboom and Whykickamoocow are just three of the dozens of strange and wonderful racehorse names that have tickled punters and twisted the tongues of long-suffering race track commentators.

Now a new steed has joined their ranks – a two-year-old gelding named Horsey McHorseface.

READ: The secret of silly horse names

The jokey moniker riffs off a public poll in Britain that chose Boaty McBoatface as the most popular name for a $300 million polar research ship. The Natural Environment Research Council have not yet decided if they will run with the public’s joke.

This could soon be Boaty McBoatface

Australian horse owner Joe Rosetti came up with the amusing spin off, quickly convincing his co-owner Bjorn Baker, a trainer at Sydney’s Warwick Farm racecourse.

“We had a laugh about it in the office and thought, ‘Hey, why not’,” racing manager Jake Bruce told CNN. “Joe’s a good bloke and he’s a good horse – we just thought it would be a good fit.”

READ: Horses ‘can recognize human emotions’

Horsey McHorseFace is the only novelty name in the 82-horse yard, according to the trainer, who hopes it will generate some interest. He was bought in New Zealand for $45,000 last November and is expected to debut in Australia mid to late May.

“Any publicity is good publicity,” said Bruce. “He’s got as good a chance as any to make it and we’d absolutely love to win with him on a big day. It would be a) hilarious and b) great for the owners.”

In the UK, another homage to the boat’s comical baptism rolled in on the front of a train – reportedly renamed by a UK rail worker to amuse customers traveling from Portsmouth to London’s Waterloo.