Registration of a Racehorse
Application to Register a Horse
Please select one of the following forms based on the
number of owners with a share in the horse.
An owner can be a natural person, registered syndicate,
company, firm or stud.
The Application to Register a Horse must include the
following information about the foal being registers:
- Colour
- Sex
- Foaling date
- Sire and dam
- Brands and Markings
For foals born:
- prior to 1995 - only the application form and fee are required.
- between 1995 and 2002 - the Document of Description issued to the breeder, the application form and fee are required.
- in 2003 or after - the Foal Identification Card, issued to the breeder by the Australian Stud Book, the application form and fee are required.
When completing the ownership section, all owners must supply their details including date of birth, contact phone number and signature. Bank account details should also be supplied, including any relevant ABN numbers to assist in the payment of prizemoney. An ABN should only be supplied if an entity is registered for GST for racing purposes. Attention is also drawn to the personal information and privacy section located on the last page of the form which all owners must read.
The order in which owners are listed on the registration application dictates who becomes the 'Manager' of the horse. The 'Manager' of the horse is the first-named person recorded by the Registrar of Racehorses (ROR) in the official ownership records. The manager of the horse has additional powers such as the ability to engage a jockey, to nominate and to scratch the horse. Please see Australian Rule of Racing AR57 to understand the full powers extended to the managing owner.
The application form has provision for up to ten owners and each owner must state their share percentage. The total of the shares must be exactly 100%.
In order to have an interest in a racehorse, the owner must be over 18 years of age.
Proposed names for the horse to be registered must be supplied in order of preference. Please ensure that only names you really want are included in your list. Different versions/spellings of the same name are treated as a single choice.
Naming Procedures
The regulations regarding the naming of racehorses in Australia are as follows:
Australian Rule of Racing AR18 states that:
- The Registrar may refuse to register any name which for any reason he/she may deem undesirable.
- The Registrar may cancel any horse's registered name for whatever reason he/she deem necessary.
General
- The maximum length of a name is 18 characters, including spaces.
- Except with the approval of the Registrar, a name cannot be repeated for 17 years after the birth of a horse with the same name or for 20 years after the birth of the youngest named produce of a horse with the same name.
- Rude, offensive or racist words will not be allowed.
- Names promoting a public company will not be allowed.
Numbers
- Numbers alone are not allowed, due to potential confusion for race callers. Eg One, Two, Three or First, Second, Third are not allowed.
- If the number is used in conjunction with another word/s, these names will be considered. Eg FIRST LOVE or THREE BELLS.
Letters
- Letters must be spelt out. Eg PEA KAY. A and I are acceptable as single letters as part of a horse's full name.
Non-Pronounceable Names
- Names will not be considered if single letters are expected to be pronounced. A name must be pronounceable as words & understandable to the general public. Eg RUFIRST will not be considered. However, AREYOUFIRST will be considered.
First Names & Surnames
- Combinations of first name & surname (eg. John Smith) will not be considered. Two first names will be considered (eg. John David). Conjoined names will also be considered.
Names that are submitted for our consideration will be granted at our discretion. Names are also verified against names registered in New Zealand. Plural names of a name already granted are only considered when there is sufficient time between horses, in case they race against each other.
A selection of cleverly named horses can be viewed by clicking the underlined link.
Please lodge the completed application form, together with the Document of Description or the Thoroughbred Identification Card and the fee of $100 to the following address:
The Registrar of Racehorses
A division of RISA
Level 7
51 Druitt Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Application to Register a Horse
Please select one of the following forms based on the
number of owners with a share in the horse.
An owner can be a natural person, registered syndicate,
company, firm or stud.
Click here to search for a name for your horse.
