Of Course There's A Racehorse Named Usain Colt

Horses are really fast animals. People are fast, too, but not quite as fast. The fastest human is named Usain Bolt. Bolt kind of sounds like colt, which is a type of horse, which runs really fast. And once again, the Transitive Property of Cornball Naming Conventions has popped up, as the British owners of a three-year-old named Usain Colt start their Bolt-centric cheerleading in advance of the London Olympics.

There's just one problem. Usain Colt kinda sucks:

"Usain Bolt is not the easiest person to get a hold of these days, but I'd like to hope that Usain Colt's chance to meet him after the Olympics would be boosted if the horse wins a race this summer," said Jake Warren, one of the horse's handlers.

Warren said Usain Colt deserves his name even though he has only won once - a year ago in Newbury.

"He's quite a big horse. He's very athletically built and has lots of character," Warren said. "He's a laid-back horse with a big personality and has a presence like no other.

"Not other than Bolt, of course."

The horse is owned by Ascot Racecourse. Prince Harry is believed to have joined the Birdcage Racing Club run by Ascot, whose 100 members pay an annual fee and share any prize money earned by Usain Colt. Their aim is to promote the sport amid dwindling interest during the hard economic times.

Incidentally, the three-time Olympic gold medalist is aware of Colt's existence:

When Prince Harry visited Jamaica earlier this year, he met Bolt and showed him a picture of the thoroughbred. Bolt was quoted as saying that "to have a race horse named after you by someone who owns it like Prince Harry for me is an honor."

"He's going to do great, takes time, work his way up," Bolt said of the horse.

Colt did finish second in a race today, but until further notice, Bolt is still tops when it comes to our Official Usain Rankings Countdown Poll.

World's fastest man has equine rival - Usain Colt [SF Gate]